Dangerous Curves Ahead
by wolfe80
Summary: Post Season 3 AU. After many years apart, something brings Logan and Veronica back together again. Can they get over the issues that they've always had and reconcile, or has too much time gone by. Not Movie Compliant
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N: I had an idea for another LoVe story even though I'm working on my other one. I decided to write both, which may not be a great idea, but we'll see how it goes. I hope to be able to keep both on a weekly update schedule, but even if not weekly, they shouldn't be too far apart. This one won't be as long, and will have much shorter chapters, so I think it will be manageable.**_

_**Disclaimer: All Characters still belong to Rob Thomas**_

Chapter 1

Billy Deimos looked cautiously around the room as he entered the bar at the hotel. He was relieved there weren't any press parasites around. They normally only flocked to the sponsor hotel, however there were several times that he'd had to avoid them at his hotel as well. He was happy to see that Adriano was tending bar tonight. You'd think after all these years living in Brazil he'd have gotten fluent at Portuguese, but unfortunately he hadn't. Adriano spoke a fair amount of English, so he could actually have a decent conversation on nights that he felt like being social, however tonight wasn't really one of those nights. He appreciated the fact that typically Adriano picked up quickly whether or not he was up for chatting.

Billy walked over to the seat at the farthest end of the bar where he typically sat on those nights that he just wanted to drink and not have to deal with people. Adriano nodded to him and grabbed a new bottle of Glenlivet scotch for him and walked down to where he'd taken a seat. He put a glass in front of Billy and gave him a grim smile as he poured the scotch.

"I caught the race on the TV," Adriano said a bit cautiously. "Congratulations on second place."

Billy silently nodded his thanks, tossed 1000 Real on the bar and took a long drink of the scotch. Adriano took the hint and walked back to the other end of the bar to take orders from another couple that had just come in.

_Fucking second place_. Billy slammed the glass down a bit harder than he had meant to. He let out a frustrated breath and spun the glass slowly on the bar. The amber liquid sloshed around in the crystal glass and he watched it slowly settle once he stopped moving the glass. He picked it up again and took another drink, feeling the burn as the scotch went down his throat. Some days he wondered why he even bothered to keep racing. Of course he knew it was because he loved the adrenaline rush and for the most part it kept him sober. If only Demétrio Vásquez wasn't part of the equation. The other racers had warned him about Demétrio when he first came back to Sao Paulo, but he blew it off and the guy was such a fucking asshole he was more than happy to take him down a notch by beating him… once. Then the next race he had a mysterious malfunction that put him in the hospital for over a month, in a medically induced coma for a portion of that time to get over the worst of the burns, and then it took several more months before he was able to get behind the wheel again. He was thankful he didn't have sponsors to worry about, because they certainly wouldn't have waited around that long for a driver to get back on his feet. He knew Demétrio had something to do with the tire blowing at the worst possible time, but there was no way to prove it. The other racers had said Demétrio had tight connections with organized crime families, but he'd never backed down from anyone before, and wasn't planning to start… at least not then. After the accident he decided he'd just settle for second place, but some days he could barely live with himself for it.

He was staring down at the glass again when he sensed someone had walked up behind him. He could tell by the scent of her perfume who it was before he even turned to look at her. He let out a deep sigh and took another drink of the scotch, finishing off the glass. She reached around him and grabbed the bottle and refilled his glass for him. He finally turned and looked into her eyes. He couldn't remember when looking in those eyes had started to cause him pain instead of joy and the look reflected back at him seemed to be the same. Some where along the way he'd hurt her too badly to fix it, and as much as it had killed him, he could never seem to give her what she needed… what she deserved. He picked up the glass and held it up for her. She gave him a sad smile and took it from him and took a drink. She closed her eyes momentarily as she swallowed the scotch and then looked intently at him again, handing the glass back to him.

"Second place, Billy?" she asked in that tone he hated. That tone that expressed all the disappointment she felt for him now. "We both know you should have been first."

"And we both know why I couldn't be," he snapped back a bit more tersely than she deserved.

She sighed and looked at him sadly and then reached down and ran her left hand gently from his knee up his thigh. Most of the burns from the accident had healed by the time he was out of the hospital, but the scar on his thigh where he'd been burned the worst, was still there. He grabbed her hand and held it up, the diamond ring on her hand sparkling softly in the low lights of the bar. He sat there just staring at her hand for a few minutes.

He thought back to the last time he'd held her hand before the ring was there. It was shortly after he'd finally been released from the hospital. She'd come to check on him, to be sure he was really doing alright after what had happened. When he'd opened the door and saw her standing there that night, he couldn't help himself. She'd barely walked through the door before he had her pressed against the wall. The near death experience and seeing her again, flooded him with emotions he hadn't felt in a very long time. She must have been thankful that he hadn't died because she seemed to want him as urgently as he wanted her. He still remembers the expression on her face when she'd seen the scar on his thigh and can also remember her lips softly placing kisses along it. In the morning she'd told him she was sorry and that she'd finally decided to accept Alex's marriage proposal. She'd come to check on him and let him know, but then let herself get caught up in the moment. He remembered the tears in her eyes as she kissed him softly on the lips one more time and then walked away.

"I miss you," she said softly bringing him back to the present.

"No you don't," he replied abruptly.

"I miss what we use to have," she replied a bit wistfully.

He nodded in agreement. "It's better that you're with him," he quickly replied, hoping it was convincing enough that they'd both believe it.

She sighed and pulled her hand away. She tried to smile, but he could see through it. "Are you coming to the party tonight?" she asked as she kept her eyes locked on his.

He shrugged, before he nodded slowly. "Probably," he answered almost regrettably.

"Maybe I'll see you there," she said with a bit of hopefulness in her voice.

He nodded again, though he knew even if they did run into each other at the party, they would act as they always did. They'd give each other a quick smile, then immediately move to the other side of the room. "You'd better go. I'm sure he's wondering why you aren't over there already."

She nodded and leaned in and kissed his cheek. "Take care of your self," she said and turned and walked out of the bar.

He reached down and picked up his drink again, quickly downing the rest of the glass. He rested his elbows on the bar and rested his head against his hands. He had been sitting there for a few minutes staring at the bar when he sensed someone else had walked up behind him. He took a deep breath before he picked up his head to see who it was. There was something familiar about the scent that he inhaled. He immediately tensed up as he remembered the last time he'd smelled that perfume.

"Logan?"

_Marshmallows and __Promises._

_**A/N: I did want to say the story was going to be from only one POV, but didn't want to mention that at the beginning. Now you should know who's that will be.**_

_**I'd love to know what people think of this chapter when you read it! Was it evident when you started reading it, whose POV it really was?**_


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N: Thanks to everyone who read chapter 1. I'd love to hear what everyone's thoughts are after reading the second chapter. Of course there will still be a lot of open questions and more of those will be answered in later chapters.**_

_**I also have this as T rating here on FF, but do have some chapters with a fair amount of swear words. If someone thinks it needs to be bumped to M, please let me know and I can change it.**_

_**Disclaimer: Characters owned by Rob Thomas. I'll also put here, that even though I'm writing him as a race car driver, I know absolutely nothing about racing, so I apologize in advance for any horrible errors I make in that space. I also haven't been to Brazil either, so hopefully I won't write anything too completely contradictory with reality.**_

Chapter 2

He was frozen in place and didn't dare turn around to look. Was his mind just playing tricks on him from the guilt he felt from seeing Gabriela? Her disappointment in him, bringing back memories of when he'd started being a disappointment to everyone else in his life. He had a hard time swallowing the lump he suddenly felt in his throat.

His mind immediately flashed back to that night, the last time he'd heard her voice, smelled her perfume. That night at the Grand when she'd come by after the fight in the cafeteria. As he'd opened the door he'd braced himself for yet another argument, but then he saw the look in her eyes. It was the same look she'd had at Lilly's funeral and when she thought her dad had died. She'd tried so hard to stay calm and compassionate as she basically told him he was an idiot for beating up a mob boss's son. Then she had pleaded with him to lay low the rest of the term and then leave for his South American trip that she didn't know had been canceled. Then came the harsh truth, no matter how gentle she'd tried to be, that she couldn't stand by and watch him either get himself killed or end up in jail for something he did to protect her or get justice for her. She had looked at him with so much sadness in her eyes, then hugged him and whispered that she wouldn't be able to live with herself if something happened to him because of her. The only solution she could see was for them to be apart from each other. She told him she was going to look into transferring to another college, but he told her not to bother. He told her he wouldn't return to Hearst in the fall. In fact, though he didn't tell her at the time since he decided a half a bottle of tequila after she'd left, he wouldn't return to Hearst at all. He'd left the next morning and tried his damnedest not to look back since that seemed to be what she wanted him to do.

The sound of her clearing her throat brought him out of his recollection. He could tell that she was moving closer and then he heard her sit on the stool next to his. He finally worked up enough courage to turn and look at her. Even though logically he knew she must really be here, she still seemed like a figment of his imagination after all these years. It was shocking to see those striking blue eyes staring back at him that he hadn't seen in years. He couldn't quite make out the emotion behind her expression though. Obviously not surprise, since she had known it was him before he even looked at her. Definitely not an overjoyed bliss at finally seeing him again. Cautious, guarded, slightly apprehensive, maybe even a bit of annoyance... although maybe those were just some of his emotions reflecting back at himself.

"Can we talk to you some where private?" Her tone was neutral, almost authoritative, but not overly demanding.

_We?_ He looked over his shoulder and saw there was a man with her also watching him. The man's expression was friendlier than hers at least, and he looked familiar. Logan cocked his head curiously trying to place how he knew the guy.

"Admiral Moneybags," the man responded with a smirk.

Logan raised his eyebrows as he realized who was with her. _What the hell is he doing here with her? _His eyes traveled back to her.

"We have a suite upstairs and would like to talk with you in private there" she continued, still with the same cautious demeanor.

Logan slowly shook his head, more at the incredibility of the situation than at her request. All of a sudden the fiery side of her shone through and an angry frown formed on her face. He remembered the way her eyes would narrow and her skin would become slightly flushed whenever she was really angry. He'd be the recipient of the look enough times to have it memorized even after all this time.

"I told you this was a bad idea," she spat at the other man as she rose from her stool and started to leave.

"Come on Mars," the other man replied as she took a few steps, "You didn't even give him a chance."

She continued to storm out of the bar, not hesitating for a second.

Logan looked incredulously at the other man. He shrugged and shook his head. "Let me buy you a drink," he said as he moved to the stool that the angry petite blond had just vacated.

Logan raised his eyebrows and gestured to the Glenlivet. The other man chuckled for a moment, "okay, why don't you buy me a drink."

Logan waved at Adriano, who had been cautiously watching from the other end of the bar, likely keeping an eye on things in case he needed to call hotel security. Logan asked him for another glass, to which he nodded silently then returned back to the other end of the bar after putting it on the counter for him.

"Sorry about my partner," the other man started as Logan poured some scotch into the empty glass and refilled his own. "She can still be a pain in the ass sometimes."

Logan nodded in agreement. "I remember," he said with a small smirk.

"So what brings you both to Sao Paulo? Agent... ?" Logan looked at him questioningly. He'd tried to forget many things about Neptune and the name of one of the bell boys at the Grand was not one of the things he'd tried to retain.

The other man nodded knowingly, "Ratner... Jeff. It's been a while." He reached out his hand to shake.

Logan reached over and shook his hand then continued. "So just taking in the sites? Overthrowing a dictatorship? Honeymooning?"

The other man laughed heartily at the last suggestion and shook his head vigorously. "We actually came to ask for your help with something."

Logan knew Veronica had joined the FBI when she graduated from Hearst but that was about all he knew of her life now. To say he was slightly surprised to see her would have been the understatement of the century, let alone if she'd really come to him for help.

Jeff took a drink of the scotch, clearly appreciating the taste of the expensive liquor. "So, would you be willing to come up to the room and listen to our proposition?"

Logan let out a deep laugh, "I typically don't accept propositions from men..." Jeff laughed along with him. "…but for you, I'll make an exception."

The ride up in the elevator was a bit awkward, neither man knowing quite what to say, or just not wanting to say anything at all. Logan finally broke the silence when they were half way to the top floor. "Have you two been partners long?"

Jeff nodded. "We worked on several teams together ever since we started with the bureau and on some recent cases we've been paired up."

Logan nodded and started fidgeting with the label on the Glenlivet. Since he was also staying on the top floor in one of the other suites he asked if he could drop the scotch off in his room. He decided walking into their suite carrying a bottle of scotch wasn't the best impression to make, even if it was the most expensive scotch the hotel carried. Jeff patiently waited in the hall for him to go in and drop off the bottle. After setting the bottle down, Logan stood frozen for a moment just starting at the door. _Come on man, you once told if she ever needed anything you'd be there for her._ Of course he never imagined it would be so many years later and on a different continent when she'd ask for it. Suddenly he remembered his lame attempt to win her back at the alterna-prom. _Epic... hardly. _Well there certainly had been lives ruined and blood shed, mostly his own. His hand involuntarily ran over where the scar was on his thigh. He let out a deep breath and forced himself to go back out the door.

Jeff was leaning on the wall opposite from his suite and stood up when the door opened to lead the way down to their suite at the other end of the hall. As Logan watched him take out the card key and swipe it in the lock, he felt a horrible feeling of uncertainty course through him. Jeff stood to the side and gestured for him to enter first, which Logan some what reluctantly did.

Veronica was sitting on the couch, apparently waiting for them. She didn't seem at all surprised that he was there so he assumed Ratner had let her know they were coming while he was in his suite. He hadn't really studied her at the bar given he was shocked she was even there and then she'd bolted so quickly. Her hair seemed to be shorter than when he saw her last but it was hard to tell how long it actually was given it was pulled back with some sort of clip. He could tell that it was wavy though and maybe a shade lighter than he remembered, but he'd mostly been surrounded by dark haired Brazilians so blond always seemed lighter to him now. She still had the same expression on her face from downstairs in the bar. She didn't seem to be the least bit happy to see him after all this time.

"Please have a seat, Logan," she said curtly as she gestured to the chair across from hers.

"It's Billy now," he replied coldly as he took a seat. _If she's going to be a bitch, I'm certainly not going to just take it._

"Fine, _Billy_," she answered a bit tersely, drawing out the name as she said it. He noticed her eyes narrowed for a moment as if she remembered something and then it was gone.

_She had to have known what alias I was using to find me and she just now realized the Easy Rider reference. _He smiled slightly thinking about how that must have escaped her until now._ Fuck, I hope she doesn't figure out the reason for Deimos._ He'd chided himself several times for picking that name, but once he had and was racing, he couldn't easily change it. He took a seat in the chair and watched Ratner sit on the same couch she was on, but a good foot away from her. _Smart man_.

"Did Agent Ratner fill you in on any of the details?" She asked, carefully studying Logan as she spoke.

"No," Logan replied as he glanced back and forth between the two of them. They were both dressed more casually than he would have initially expected for FBI agents, although they were probably trying to not stand out. They both had on dress slacks, with button up shirts, but surprisingly Veronica's was very feminine looking.

"Well we can't tell you all the specifics due to the confidential nature of the case but we are looking for an experienced driver who has a successful racing record who we can trust." Veronica explained. She'd mostly been looking at Logan until the trust part, which she noticeably looked away for.

Logan let out a frustrated sigh. _Well then why the hell did she come to me if she still can't trust me? _Jeff quickly noticed the sudden unease in the room and picked up where Veronica had stopped.

"We'd need you to come back to LA with us and race at Fontana. Do you have any obligations here that would prohibit you from doing that? It could take several months for us to wrap up the case." Jeff paused to let Logan consider the question.

He thought about quipping back to Ratner about that being a pretty lame pick up line, but decided against it. Logan shook his head. "No there's nothing specific here I'd need to stay for other than letting my crew know, and making some arrangements for my house."

He noticed Veronica seemed to be even more agitated than before. "What else do I need to know?" Logan asked Ratner, realizing he would more likely get an honest answer from him than her at this point.

"We'd be going under cover with you too. Well mostly Agent Mars. Her cover is a magazine photographer and mine is a journalist. She needs to be able to get very close access to the other drivers and crew, so she'd be posing as your girlfriend or fiancé, we hadn't decided on that specific detail yet."

Logan couldn't help but laugh softly. "Come on Ratner, it's modern times, we could just say you're my boyfriend."

Jeff laughed, while Veronica didn't seem amused at all. "Unfortunately Billy Deimos has a pretty well known reputation for being a ladies man, so I don't think that will fly." Jeff explained after he stopped laughing.

Logan noticed Veronica's jaw tighten and her expression became even more irritated at that. _So now I know what her issue is, or at least one of her issues._

"Will it be dangerous?" Logan asked still looking at Jeff.

Veronica scoffed as he finished his question. Logan's attention quickly snapped to her.

"You race fast cars and sleep with fast women, isn't danger your middle name?" She blurted it out with more bitterness than he'd ever remembered hearing from her before.

Logan may have been older but his temper hadn't gotten much better. "Fuck this," he mumbled under his breath. He stood up from his chair and growled at her in response, "You know nothing about me now and you sure as hell don't get to judge me like that. Good bye Ver-on-i-ca." Right before he slammed the door behind him he could make out Ratner cursing at her for her lack of composure. _Good luck with her buddy_, he thought to himself as he stormed down the hall to his room.

He'd at least gotten wise enough not to punch any holes in the wall of his hotel room, though he was awfully tempted to. _Fuck this, I'm going home._ He pulled his suitcase out of the closet and started throwing his clothes in. He normally never drove all the way home after the race since his house was two hours from Sao Paulo, but there was no way in hell that he was staying here tonight and risk running into her again.

_Who the hell does she think she is, coming all the way down here after all these years and then acting like that when she's the one who wanted help_? He angrily grabbed his extra shoes and threw them in the suitcase, not really caring if everything was orderly or not. _She's still just as judgmental as she ever was_. He took a quick swig from the scotch before he went back to grabbing his dress shirts and quickly pulling them off their hangers and throwing them in on top of the shoes. _That was just about as bad as her poor little rich boy with a death wish cliché speech._ He went to the dresser and started grabbing his clothes from there. _I wonder if she spent the entire flight down here figuring out how best to piss me off when she arrived._ He angrily slammed the top drawer shut once he'd retrieved his belongings from it. _And obviously from her reaction, she still doesn't trust me at all, even after everything we went through all those years ago._

He had headed into the bathroom to get his stuff from there when there was a knock on his door. He cursed under his breath and thought he'd just ignore it, but after a moment of silence the pounding started again, a bit louder. _That had better not be her, or so help me, this is not going to be pretty._ Logan marched to the door and threw it open.

Jeff stood there with an apologetic look on his face.

"Deja vu, but you're missing the room service cart," Logan barked at Jeff as he glared at him from inside his room.

"I'm sorry about that man. She wasn't thrilled with this idea but our captain pushed her into it."

"Obviously," Logan replied and returned to get the rest of his things from the bathroom, leaving Jeff standing in the door way. Logan heard him walk into the room and glanced back over to see him looking at the open suitcase, its contents clearly tossed in without a care of how they were going in. Jeff turned to look at him in the bathroom before he started talking again.

"Look, I still think you're our best bet for this case, and I can get another female agent to replace Mars. Don't say no yet. Let me give you my card and give me a week to get a different agent down here to meet you and then we can talk again, okay?"

Logan didn't reply and kept packing up his stuff. Jeff sighed and shook his head. He tossed his card into the open suitcase and left the room closing the door behind him.


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N: I know I said I was going to just update weekly, but I'm quite a few chapters ahead on this story and was thrilled with getting a dozen reviews here on FF for chapter 2 already, so decided I'd publish Chapter 3 now instead of waiting. If interest stays really high and I keep getting lots of reviews, maybe I'll post chapters a bit more frequently for this story. Although I really should be working on my other story too, but this one has been a lot of fun to write as well. :) I'm trying to go with shorter chapters for this story, which is one reason I've gotten pretty far along with it. I really have no idea how long this story may end up being at this point. I can say that right now I'm not planning to go into much detail on the case side of it, since this will stay entirely from Logan's POV and he's not the one working on the case, so we'll only know as much as he does and at least to start with, the agents aren't willing to give him too many details. There of course is still a bit of mystery as to what's happened with his life between when he left Neptune and where we are now.**_

_**I really do appreciate everyone who reads the story and leaves comments!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 3

Logan woke up to some god forsaken pounding noise. At first he couldn't remember where he was and thought maybe it was the hotel staff. Then he opened his eyes and remembered what had happened the night before and that he'd driven all the way home. Once he'd finally made it home he'd gone straight for the medicine cabinet and found some of the strong meds that he still had from his accident and then chased a few of them with several glasses of scotch before he passed out on the couch. At some point he'd stripped down to his boxers since he could never sleep comfortably in pants, so now he found himself laying face down staring at the floor over the side of the couch wearing only his boxers. He started to wonder if what had woken him up was just the hangover that was pounding in his head and not actual pounding since now that he was awake it had stopped. His relief about that was short lived as the incessant knocking started again.

"Fuck," he groaned as he grabbed his throbbing head. He quickly looked around for his pants but then remembered they were all the way upstairs in his bedroom and he just wanted the infuriating sound to stop. He stumbled to the door not caring who he may offend answering the door in his boxers since they were pissing him off with the noise.

He made it to the door and swung it open to find a persistent blond FBI agent standing on the other side. _Fuck, I should have known. _At least the knocking had stopped. She opened her mouth to say something but he shook his head and left her standing there with the door open as he made his way back to the couch. He reached for the pill bottle and took a half of one that had been in the bottle from when he was cutting back on the pain meds after the accident. He flopped back down face first on the couch and hoped she'd just go away. But this was Veronica Mars and if she drove all the way here, he knew no mere hoping was going to make her just go away.

He'd been laying there for at least two minutes and was actually surprised that she hadn't said some snide comment yet. Given his extremely hung-over state, a prescription pill bottle and a mostly empty bottle of scotch on the table, and the foul exchange from the prior night, he was expecting some sort of biting remark from her. He'd closed his eyes to dull the pain from the bright light shining in the windows when he'd flopped back down on the couch so he couldn't actually see her. He'd heard her footsteps come closer though after he'd reached the couch, so he knew she hadn't left yet. He finally took a deep breath and spoke. "What do you want Agent Mars?" His tone came out a bit more sarcastic and bitter than he'd intended. He waited with his eyes still closed for her to say something, but she didn't. He could still hear her breathing so he knew she hadn't left but after a few minutes of no response he finally turned his head and opened his eyes to look at her.

The expression on her face was certainly less hostile than the night before, but still not what he'd consider even remotely happy or friendly. She was sitting in a chair across from him biting on her lower lip. "I wanted to apologize for last night. You're right that I don't know you any more and shouldn't have jumped to conclusions based on whatever Intel the profilers sent on about you."

His initial reaction of appreciating the apology was quickly destroyed by the rest of what she said. _Yeah someone she can trust, with a team of profilers to point out how fucked up I am._

The medicine wasn't working fast enough for this and he just wanted it to be over. "Fine, apology accepted. Good bye Veronica." He doubted that would actually work, but it seemed like an easy option to try. He closed his eyes again. If it actually did work, he didn't really want to just lay there and watch her walk away. He was actually a little surprised when he heard her get up from the chair. He took a deep breath and laid there waiting to hear the front door open and close. After a few minutes he didn't hear the door, and opened his eyes to see where she'd gone. Thankfully the medicine was starting to work and so he sat up so he could listen to see if he could hear her somewhere else in the house. Maybe he just didn't hear her open and close the door._ Would I actually be happy if she was gone out of my life again forever? _He leaned back on the couch and blew out a frustrated breath and closed his eyes again.

When he'd first come to Brazil, he'd often dreamt about what it would be like if she would have come to find him. Those reunions went far better in his head than this one had gone. As the years went by, those dreams slowly faded away, replaced instead by memories of every fight and argument they'd had and all the ways he'd disappointed her. It was likely the result of wondering why she never did try to contact him again that led him to focus on all the negative things and completely forget anything good they'd ever shared. _And god knows there were enough bad things to keep me busy agonizing over._ The only good thing about being in the coma in the hospital was that at some point he'd actually had some good dreams about her again. Dreams where she wasn't calling him a lunatic or a cliché, but instead saying she loved him. He took a deep breath and realized he smelled coffee. He pushed himself off the couch and started up the stairs to at least give her the courtesy of putting on some clothes before he talked to her again. His headache was subsiding a bit thanks to the medicine, though he still felt like crap. He grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt and slowly made his way back down the stairs. She was walking out of the kitchen with two mugs of coffee in her hands. He gestured to the couch area and she nodded and followed him there.

"Thanks," Logan said as Veronica handed one of the mugs to him. She nodded and the corner of her mouth turned up slightly. Even though it was barely a grin, it was the closest thing he'd seen to a smile since he'd first seen her at the bar the prior night.

"I wanted to talk to you about the case," Veronica said after taking a sip of the coffee.

"Look Veronica, I don't think it's such a good idea. I'm sure you can find another driver to work with you."

Veronica took a deep breath. "When Ratner first suggested it, I'll admit that I thought it was a terrible idea, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that you would be the best person we could find to work with us. Last night… seeing you again… I'm sorry, I guess I wasn't as prepared for it as I thought."

_I'm sure seeing me reminded you of all the fucked up stuff I did._ Logan blew out a frustrated breath. "What do you want me to say Veronica. I don't really know why you were so pissed at me. I did what you wanted. I left. I stayed out of your life. Then you come barging back into mine and act like a total bi…" He stopped and closed his eyes, realizing he was starting to lose his temper again.

"I know, Logan…. Billy." His eyes were still closed but he could tell from her tone than she actually sounded a little sorry.

He opened his eyes again and looked at her.

"Please, I need your help," Veronica said with a pleading expression on her face. She bit on her lower lip again and furrowed her brow at him. "Ratner told me what he was planning to do and I can't get taken off this case. It's too important to my career. Is there anything I can say or do to change your mind?"

Logan let out a deep breath. "Veronica…" _What the hell am I doing? _"I… just give me a little time to think about it."

Veronica nodded. "Why don't you go and take a shower and I'll see what you have around here to eat, and then we can talk more about it." _So a little time equates to a shower and time to get dressed, typical Veronica Mars._

He sighed and stood from the couch and headed up the stairs. _This is the worst idea in the world_, he thought as he slowly walked up the stairs to his room.

He came back down about 20 minutes later, and found her finishing up some omelets in the kitchen. He took a seat at the counter and watched her taking the omelets out of the pans and putting them onto plates. He could tell from just watching her that she was still incredibly uneasy. She was still biting on her lower lip every once in a while, and her overall demeanor was very apprehensive.

"Maybe you can just work the case from a different angle," Logan finally suggested. While he was in the shower he ruled out the option of actually posing as anyone who had to get along with her. Even if they could get over the obvious hate she now seemed to feel for him, he didn't want the constant reminder for possibly months of what he'd never be able to have again. Although at this point he wasn't even sure he'd ever want that again anyway.

She shook her head, "That's not really an option for this case."

"I just don't think the two of us working closely together is a good idea," Logan said a bit abruptly, hoping to just end the conversation. He knew it would likely piss her off to refuse to do it, but he couldn't get past her reaction from the prior night.

She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "It's not the first time we've pretended to be a couple for a case… when our own feelings about each other were less than friendly."

_Damn it, I knew she'd bring up that time at the Sunset Regent and nice of her to confirm how she really feels about me now._ He sighed and shook his head. "I know, but that was one afternoon, not months Veronica."

He watched as she seemed to get more anxious. He could only imagine what she was planning to say next was something he really didn't want to hear her say. She took another deep breath, apparently to settle her nerves before she spoke. He could tell by her expression and behavior what she was planning to say before she actually said it.

"You once told me you'd always be there for me if I needed you," her eyes pleaded sadly with him, "and I really need you for this Logan... Billy."

_Fuck_. He knew it. He couldn't look at her now. He knew if he did, he'd lose whatever resolve he'd been able to find while he was in the shower to tell her no, so instead he just stared down at his plate and didn't say anything. He knew his avoidance tactic wouldn't work for long, but maybe if he avoided looking at her long enough, he'd be able to put a wall back up to not let her desperate plea bother him.

Unfortunately, this was Veronica Mars, and she was just as persistent as she always had been. She reached out and grabbed a hold of his hand that he had sitting on the counter next to his plate. She gently squeezed it, "Please. Please do this for me, and I'll stay out of your life forever after we're done if that's what you want. I'll never ask you for another favor again. I promise."

_Fuck, fuck, fuck._ Ever since he'd fallen in love with her, he'd never been able to really refuse her. Even now after all this time, he knew he couldn't let her down, even if every logical part of his brain was screaming at him not to do it. Despite everything that had happened, he knew he'd never really completely stopped loving her and disappointing her now wasn't something he could do.

He let out a defeated sigh. "Fine, but I have a few requirements." He finally looked up from the plate at her face again.

She actually smiled. It wasn't the biggest, happiest smile he remembered seeing on her face, but it was the biggest smile he'd seen since she walked back into his life less than 24 hours ago and the sight of it made his chest ache slightly, remembering what it had been like with her before it all fell apart. She nodded and waited to hear his requests.

"The obvious one of course, is I have to stay Billy Deimos. I don't want to ever be Logan Echolls again, and so I'd like to try to stay out of the press as much as possible so no one figures it out." He knew he didn't look as much like he did all those years ago when he left. He'd gotten thinner, especially in his face, and once he started racing and getting in the press again he'd grown out his facial hair to make it even harder to recognize him. So far only a few people had ever figured out who he actually was, and thankfully they were people that he could trust not to let anyone else know. Not being known as Logan Echolls anymore had been one of the best parts of leaving Neptune behind and he didn't want to relive that part of his life again.

She nodded and waited for the next one.

"I also want to bring my mechanic with me. I don't think most of the rest of the crew would want to go to LA for an extended amount of time, but I only trust him to work on my car."

Veronica sighed and bit at her lip, "Do you think he'll want to go back?"

_Of course she'd know who my mechanic was... fucking FBI Intel. _"He'll go if I ask him to." She nodded again in reply.

"I also want a secluded place to live... at the beach. There's no way I'm actually living out in Fontana or in downtown LA. I'll rent something myself if necessary."

"I think we can work something out. I have a condo in LA, but it's not near the beach of course." She looked intently at him. "Remember, we really need to make the cover story work, and we can't just appear to be casually dating for that. You might need to stay at my place for a while until we can find another place for us both to stay."

He sighed and nodded. _You're just a cover story for her, don't forget that._

She started explaining the plan that her and Ratner had come up with. There was another race the following weekend, and Logan would be going back to Sao Paulo on Tuesday to get some track time and prepare for the race on Saturday. The two agents would meet him at the track to interview and photograph him for the magazine. Even though they were in Brazil, their Intel suggested that some of the people they were interested in were often seen visiting racing locations in other parts of the world including Sao Paulo, so they wanted to start out with a sound cover here. She said her under-cover identity was a photographer named Lindsey Evans. Logan couldn't help but smirk at the initials of her alias, but didn't say anything. He certainly didn't want to get into a name discussion with her. The plan was for them to start flirting at the track and make a show of being interested in each other. Then they'd go out and be seen around town for the next few days, and then attend the big party Saturday night after the race.

_Saturday night, fuck... Gabriela_. His mood immediately changed when she mentioned the party and she of course noticed, giving him a suspicious look. "Couldn't we skip the party and just head back to LA without attending it." _After everything else I've done to hurt Gabriela, taking Veronica to the party is one line I really don't want to cross and it doesn't matter if I say her name is Lindsey Evans or not._

Veronica studied him intently for a few moments. "Is this because of the woman at the bar last night?"

_Damn it, her power of observation certainly hasn't diminished and she must have been watching me longer at the bar than I'd realized._ "No." ..._yes._ "Her brother's one of the other racers." ..._they're the reason I started racing._ "And she's married to his mechanic." _...because I broke her heart. _"We're just acquaintances." _...but we used to be more._

"So what's the problem with the party then?" She asked, her head tilting in that particular way he hated because he still seemed to be powerless to it.

He let out a resigned sigh, "There's no problem. We can go." _Great, you're already off to a great start of lying to her._

They exchanged some information so they could meet on Tuesday and then she headed to the door to leave. She'd opened the door, and then hesitated and turned back to him. "Thank you for agreeing to do this for me. It really does mean a lot."

He nodded and then watched her walk out and close the door behind herself. He let out a sigh and ran one of his hands nervously through his hair. _What the hell have you gotten yourself into?_


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N – Wow! Thanks for the great response in reviews! I'm really excited with the response to this so far. I couldn't believe how fast and how many came in on the last chapter here on FF. I thought I'd put the next Chapter out as a way to say thank you to everyone. I hope you like this one too. A bit more of Logan's back story in this one, so no Veronica, but she'll be back in the next chapter.**_

_**I really do appreciate everyone who reads the story and leaves comments!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 4

After Veronica left, Logan returned to the couch. There was a little bit of the scotch left, so he grabbed the bottle and quickly finished the rest of it off. He leaned back and closed his eyes, resting his head on the back of the couch tilting his head up toward the ceiling. _Gabriela is going to hate me even more than she already does after Saturday._

He thought back to when they'd first met so many years ago. After he'd left Neptune and come to Brazil, he'd eventually decided to buy an SUV so he could just drive around to different beach towns and surf. He was mostly living out of his car, occasionally staying at cheap dive motels to shower and sleep in a real bed every once in a while. No one who saw him would ever have suspected he was a multimillionaire, let alone Logan Echolls, son of a psychotic murderer and suicidal mother. He mostly kept to himself and didn't really make any friends since he didn't stay in one place long enough for that to happen. He'd actually tried to stay out of trouble on the slim chance that Veronica would call him and ask him to come back. Besides going by an alias, he hadn't really tried that hard to hide. He still had the same cell phone that he'd had in Neptune and would occasionally take more money out of his bank account, so he knew it would be easy for her or Keith to find him if they'd wanted to. _But apparently she never wanted to._

He'd eventually found a town near Sao Paulo that he seemed to enjoy more than other places he'd been. The surfing was terrific there, and the locals seemed to be friendly enough, but not over bearing. He'd been in Brazil for a little over six months and it was late on Christmas Eve. He'd taken his surf board and a bottle of vodka down to the beach intending to do some night surfing since he was feeling crappier about his life than usual. He stuck his board in the sand and threw a towel down in front of a large log and was watching the surf in the moonlight while he drank some of the vodka. He was surprised to hear footsteps approaching him since it was so late on Christmas Eve and he expected all of the locals to be at home enjoying time with their families. He turned to see who was coming up to him and recognized the woman as someone he'd seen several times when he'd been there surfing. She was fairly tall, around five foot eight, and had long dark wavy hair. She was absolutely gorgeous and so he'd obviously noticed her every day that he'd run into her coming in from surfing. She had smiled and nodded at him a couple of those times while passing on the beach, but they'd never actually talked.

She stopped next to him and looked down with a friendly smile. She asked him something in Portuguese, and he gave her his normal blank stare that he'd give when other locals had tried talking to him in anything but English. She grinned a bit more and asked in English instead, "What are you doing out here all alone on Christmas Eve?" He was relieved she actually spoke English very well, since a lot of the other locals he'd run into knew only a few words, so he'd mostly had pretty limited conversations for the past few months.

"Just enjoying the view," He replied back. He was so out of practice at flirting since he'd been keeping to himself for the last six months, that he hadn't even meant it as a double entendre, but she still gave him a sly little smile.

"Can I join you?" She asked as she started to take a seat before he even answered. She held her hand out for the bottle, and he shook his head with a bit of surprise and handed it to her. She took a drink and handed it back. "I'm Gabriela."

"Billy," he'd replied with more of a smile than he'd remembered having in weeks.

She narrowed her eyes at him and shook her head, the soft dark curls swaying across her shoulders. "I don't think so, but if you want to be Billy, that's fine with me."

He smirked back but didn't say anything else. She watched him as he took another drink of the Vodka. He gave her a sly smile after he finished taking the drink. "So what are _you_ doing out here all alone on Christmas Eve?" he countered back to her.

She smiled a bit seductively and then stood back up. "I actually came out for a swim." She stood in front of him and removed her tank top, revealing her bare breasts, and then stepped out of her shorts and eyed him suggestively. "Care to join me?"

He'd been good for six months, and at that point decided being good hadn't really had any impact on Veronica reaching out to find him. He watched as Gabriela gave him a devious smile and then she turned and ran down to the surf. He took another drink of the vodka and put the cap back on before running down to follow her into the water.

She'd smiled broadly as he walked close to her and then she reached up and wrapped her arms around him, staring intently into his eyes as her naked body rubbed up against his chest. She gave him a little pout and then reached down with one hand and tugged on the waistband of his swim trunks. "You're a bit too overdressed for what I had in mind." He smiled and leaned down and kissed her. After kissing him back for a few minutes, she bit his bottom lip playfully and then ran back up to his spot on the beach.

He shook his head and stood there watching her for a moment before he followed her up. She'd already taken another drink of his vodka before he reached her. It didn't take long before he was slipping out of his shorts and into her. He hadn't realized how alone he'd really started feeling during the past six months and for once in longer than he could remember he actually felt like someone wanted him. When they were finished, he'd rolled off of her and was lying on his back looking up at the stars, contemplating whether what he had just done was a huge mistake or not.

"Veronica?" she asked curiously. "Is she the reason you're hiding out down here in Brazil?"

He hadn't realized he'd said her name, but wasn't terribly surprised he had, though he felt a bit guilty about it. "Sorry… something like that." He was surprised when she'd rolled over so she could rest her chest on his and look at his face, running her fingers along his cheek.

"Does she look like me?" She asked curiously while she studied his face in the moonlight.

He laughed softly and shook his head. "No, she's barely 5 foot tall and blond."

She smiled at him a bit mischievously and studied his face more. "Well if it makes you feel better, you can call me Veronica any time if you perform like that when you do." She watched him shake his head and give her a skeptical look. In his experience, calling a woman by the wrong name in the middle of having sex was a sure way to end up in huge trouble.

"I actually do know who you are… Logan," she said a moment later, catching him totally by surprise. He tensed up and the smile that had been on his face quickly vanished. "But I'm happy to call you Billy if you want," she quickly continued on, sensing his change in demeanor. "And I promise your secret's safe with me."

He'd asked her how she knew who he was, and so she'd explained that she had cousins in San Diego and had been up visiting them when he was all over the news. When he seemed surprised she'd recognized him over a year later, she told him she never forgot a handsome face. She'd leaned in to kiss him again, and he found himself wanting to keep kissing her even if she did know who he really was. Maybe it was the fact that she'd been honest rather than just leading him on that had made him trust her, or just that he was tired of being alone.

She stood up and slipped her clothes back on, and reached out her hand for him. "Come with me," she said in a low sensuous tone.

He felt a smile form across his lips. "I thought I just did?" he replied in a teasing tone that he hadn't used in months.

Her smile became even more devious as she replied, "Then come with me again."

She'd led him up to her bungalow that was just a short walk up the beach and he quickly got swept up in spending time there with her. It wasn't long after that, that he'd met her brother and got involved with racing. They'd been happy enough together, even though he wasn't sure he could ever love her exactly the same way he'd loved Veronica. But at the time it seemed to be enough for both of them and she never really pushed him for more. Things were really good for almost two years. Then he'd fucked up horribly.

There'd been a journalist at the track interviewing drivers and she bore an uncanny resemblance to Veronica. Her blond hair was short like Veronica's had been when they had dated the first time and she had the same sparkling blue eyes. It didn't help that her name was Victoria and that she'd tilted her head the same way when she was trying to get answers out of the drivers. Too many damn similarities to Veronica and after spending most of the afternoon with her he found himself thinking about Veronica all the way home. He'd had a few too many glasses of scotch on top of all that before he crawled into bed with Gabriela and when he accidentally called her Veronica in the middle of having sex, he knew he'd fucked up more than he could fix. She'd angrily left him and no matter how much he apologized, she wouldn't give him another chance. She'd told him that she was a fool for having stayed with him as long as she had when obviously he was never going to get over Veronica. She deserved someone who would love her with all his heart, and he'd finally agreed and let her go. And true to the fuck-up he always was, he started making horrible decisions to deal with the pain of losing her, which of course ensured she'd never come back to him again.

So even though she wouldn't know Veronica was actually the exact same woman he'd left behind in Neptune, when she saw him with an obvious replica on Saturday, she was sure to feel the sting of it all over again. _Maybe I'll crash during the race and die instead of having to deal with this gigantic mess of crap I've gotten myself into._

His self-loathing was interrupted by a pounding on the door. _Why the fuck can't people just ring the bell._ He realized his hangover headache was returning and he grabbed the bottle of pills as he went to answer the door.

He opened the door again, not terribly surprised at who he found this time of day on a Sunday. "Pack your bags, vato, we're going on a little trip," Logan announced as he left the door open and started walking to the kitchen.

The man at the door followed behind him after he closed the door. "You look like crap man, what happened to you?"

Logan shook his head, still not entirely believing himself what had happened to him in the last 24 hours. "Veronica Mars, that's what happened to me."

The other man raised his eyebrows giving him a questioning glance. "Do I need to check your car for an exhaust leak? Have you been inhaling fumes or something?"

Logan shook his head again, "No, she found me at the hotel bar last night before I'd left for the party." He'd grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and took another half pill from the bottle.

"That explains why you were a no show at the party, but what the hell was she doing in Sao Paulo?"

Logan laughed incredulously at him, "she was asking for my help."

This caused the other man to laugh loudly. "Okay, now I know you're high on something, man. How many of those pills have you had today? Miss perfect pixie spy FBI agent came to ask you for help?"

"She needs an experienced driver to get her close to some people up in Fontana. So we're relocating for a while. I told her I wouldn't go without my mechanic though, so you're coming with us." Logan saw the other man's expression change from amusement to annoyance. "Come on Weev's, you don't want anyone else touching your baby do you?"

"I want it on record that I think this is a really bad idea man. There are so many things wrong with this. You've got a decent life down here, why do you want to risk that by going back?"

"You know why Weevil," Logan's expression became serious, "because it's her."

Weevil shook his head, but didn't say anything. Logan continued on, "And you can't tell me that if she came to you for a favor and gave you her little head tilt, that you wouldn't have offered to help her too."

Logan filled him in on what little he knew about the case and their plan. Weevil reluctantly agreed to go along. He didn't stay long after that, leaving Logan alone once again to ruminate over what he'd gotten himself into.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews/comments so far! This chapter touches on how Weevil ended up in Brazil. I know a lot of people were asking about that. I didn't plan on going into that in great detail, but hopefully the section here that covers it will be enough to make it work. **_

_**I really do appreciate everyone who's been reading the story and love all the questions and comments you all have! Keep them coming! I'll keep posting more frequent updates if I keep getting lots of reviews on the new chapters. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 5

Logan spent most of Monday regretting what he'd agreed to go along with. He didn't sleep very well Sunday night, but stayed away from any alcohol since he was still feeling like crap from how much he'd drank the night before. He woke up early on Monday and spent most of the morning surfing. He was hoping being on the water would help get rid of his anxiety about the whole situation, but it didn't help as much as he'd hoped.

He decided to drive up earlier than he normally did on Tuesday to Sao Paulo and get a morning track time instead of his usual afternoon track time. He wanted to get his driving done before Ratner and Veronica were supposed to come and find him so if that went badly, he wouldn't have to drive afterwards. Weevil gave him a few odd looks when he got there so early and shook his head a bit at him when he was done driving. He knew it wasn't one of his better times, but at least he didn't crash the car.

Most of the drivers had trailers at the track that the drivers or crew would use when they weren't with their cars and he was headed toward his as he pulled his helmet off. He wasn't really paying that much attention to his surroundings, which he immediately regretted.

"Billy!" A perky female voice called out, and he heard footsteps getting closer to him.

_Fuck_. There were several reasons he never did morning track times, and Cecilia was one of those. Her father was one of the main owners of the track, and she spent more than a fair amount of time there, apparently trying to sleep her way through all the single drivers and crew, and a few of the married ones as well. Unfortunately, drivers that ended up pissing her off tended to suffer immeasurable damage from it. Logan had found avoidance the safest course of action, and generally he was successful at it since she was typically gone with her latest victim by the time he'd arrive in the afternoons.

He stopped and took a deep breath, staring down at the ground for a minute before turning toward her and giving her a smile. "Cece, you look lovely today."

She smiled happily back and closed the distance between them quickly. "Hey there handsome. Why haven't I seen you around the track as much lately?"

_Because I got smart to your little games?_ Logan shrugged and put on an innocent expression. "I guess I just haven't been that lucky."_ Don't piss her off and just play along and everything will be fine._

She quickly reached up to play with the zipper on his race suite. "I didn't even see you at the party Saturday night."

Logan shrugged again and casually replied, "Something came up."

She gave him a devious grin, "I'm sure with you something is always _up_." She'd already partially unzipped his suit without him even realizing it. "Why don't you come and have lunch with me, and we'll see what else might come _up_."

Logan tried not to tense up as he felt her fingers run under his t-shirt along his abs, surprised by how quickly she'd gotten there._ I suppose being a track tramp, she knows her way around racing suits pretty well._ "Sorry, but I'll need to take a rain check. I'm scheduled to meet with a journalist in just a little bit, but we'll have to do that sometime soon."

As expected a pout crossed her face and her hand made its way around to his back, her nails lightly scraping across his skin. "I'd be more fun than some stuffy journalist. Besides, I didn't think you liked doing anything press related."

Logan shrugged again, "I promised a friend I'd do it, so I'm making an exception this time."

At that moment, a woman cleared her throat behind them. Logan didn't need to turn to know who it was.

"Billy Deimos?" the other woman asked, causing Cecilia to pause the movement of her nails across his lower back and turn to look at the other woman who was trying to interrupt her. Logan turned to look at her as well. Cecilia carefully looked over the petite blond who was carrying a camera around her neck and a bag over her shoulder. She was wearing a pair of slacks again and a floral printed blouse.

"Billy's a bit busy right now sweetie," Cecilia replied in a clearly possessive tone, "Why don't you go find some other driver to get a photo with?"

Logan watched as Veronica's expression became quite determined. "Actually, my partner and I have an appointment with Mr. Deimos for an interview and photos, so I think you're the one who should go find yourself another driver to entertain yourself with."

Logan turned back to see Cecilia's reaction._ At least if she gets pissed at this point, it shouldn't be at me. That works I suppose._

"Like I said sweetie, there are plenty of other drivers around for you and your _partner_ to meet with. We were just on our way to get some lunch." Cecilia's expression was growing less friendly by the second.

As much as Logan enjoyed a good old fashioned cat fight, he knew this probably would end up hurting him in some way in the end and he really didn't want the repercussions of Cecilia jeopardizing his standing at the track for whenever he did come back from LA. "Come on now ladies, there's plenty of me to go around, no reason to fight over me." He said in a teasing tone and then he smiled softly at Cecilia. "I promise we'll find another time to get some lunch, okay?" _And hopefully I can avoid her the rest of the week and she'll forget by the time I'm back from LA_.

"Fine," she reluctantly agreed with a pout. "I'm going to hold you to that promise the next time I see you." She leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek, finally removing her hand from under his shirt to wipe off the lipstick she'd left there. Then she gave him one last longing look before walking off in the direction she'd appeared from.

Veronica let out a huff as soon as Cecilia was far enough away and turned and headed for Logan's trailer where they were supposed to be meeting. _This is going so well, and here Weevil said it was a bad idea_. Logan shook his head and walked after her, tucking his shirt back into his racing suit and zipping it back up quite a bit higher than Cecilia had unzipped it to.

Veronica stopped at the trailer door, still not saying a word and impatiently tapping her foot as Logan fished out a key to unlock the door so they could go in. "You're early," Logan said as he opened the door for her to walk by.

"Oh sorry," Veronica said in a sarcastically bitter voice as she walked into the trailer, "did I interrupt the noon quickie you were planning to have with your little groupie back there before we met up with you?"

Logan was about to give her an angry reply when Weevil stuck his head in the trailer door. "So the boy wasn't just high on gas fumes after all."

Veronica smiled and gave him a little wave from inside the trailer. He climbed in and Logan closed the door behind him so that no one else could see or hear them from outside.

"It's so good to see you V," Weevil said as he went over and gave her a big hug. "I still can't believe you're here in Sao Paulo."

Veronica smiled broadly and nodded in response. _Sure Weevil gets a hug and a smile, and I get my balls handed to me on a platter._

"I can't believe how long it's been since I've seen you." Veronica gushed at Weevil while she continued to smile at him. "You look terrific. Sao Paulo must really agree with you." Veronica had kept her hand on his shoulder and ran it down toward his wrist before finally taking a step back. Her smile faded to what looked a bit regretful before she spoke again. "I was so sorry I couldn't make it to your Grandmother's funeral. I couldn't get away from Quantico when it happened. Though I hope you got the card I sent."

Weevil nodded and gave Logan a quick glance. Logan had heard about Letty passing away and since she had always been so nice to him when she worked for his family, he snuck back to Neptune for the funeral. He wasn't quiet as stealthy as he'd intended to be, and when he stopped by Lilly's grave for a few minutes Weevil had found him there. Even though they didn't always get along, Weevil was grateful he'd come back for his grandmother's funeral and the two ended up talking for a while. Sure they'd had their differences over the years, but they had been able to work together to try to find Felix's real killer, and perhaps given they were older now and with the tone of the funeral, the other things didn't seem to matter as much anymore. At some point Logan had asked him if he was still doing maintenance at Hearst, and learned that he had actually gone back to working at his uncle's garage again. Having a felony record wasn't really opening up a lot of great job opportunities for him even several years later. Gabriela had just started dating Alex at that time and Logan didn't feel right sharing him with her brother as a mechanic for both of them anymore, so he ended up convincing Weevil to move to Brazil and work for him. It seemed that the thought of starting over somewhere new appealed to Weevil, and he eventually said he'd give it a try on a temporary basis. That was almost three years ago now.

"I understand V," Weevil said with a reassuring smile. "There was a really great turnout for her. She really was a wonderful woman who touched a lot of people's lives." While Veronica was still looking at Weevil, Logan gave him a compassionate smile.

"I'd better get back out there and make sure Speed Racer here didn't do anything to mess up my girl." He looked back and forth between the two of them, "I can't believe I'm saying this, but you'd better take care of my boy here, I sort of like this gig I have going and it would be too much effort to find a new driver to work for."

Veronica shook her head and laughed, "Are you sure you're not the one that's inhaling those gas fumes?"

Weevil had started to open the door when Logan called out, "Hold up a minute Weev's." He turned toward Veronica, "I need to talk with him for a minute about something that seemed off about the car, I'll be back in a few minutes. You can wait in here for Ratner though." He didn't give her time to reply before he was flying out the door in front of Weevil.

As the door closed, Weevil gave him a curious look. "Didn't we just talk about the car when you brought it in from the track?"

Logan let out a deep sigh and shrugged. He lowered his voice just to be sure Veronica couldn't hear him from inside the trailer. "She's a nightmare man. I just didn't really want to be alone in there with her before Ratner shows up. She was just starting to tear into me for walking up on me and Cecilia when she arrived. Luckily you showed up and saved me from losing my temper at her." Weevil shook his head and started walking back to where the car was parked.

"Do I already get to say '_I told you so_' about this being a terrible idea?" Weevil said as Logan walked beside him. "You didn't even make it to the designated meeting time." He chuckled as he realized Logan was looking around nervously. "Don't worry," he said taking pity on his friend, "I saw Cecilia leave with Pedro, so you're in the clear for the rest of the afternoon."

Logan let out a relieved sigh and continued to walk with him back to the car. Weevil had already been doing some work on it before he walked over to the trailer and had the hood up. Weevil grabbed some tools and went back to working on the engine again. Logan had grabbed his cell phone from the trailer before he bolted out the door and sent Ratner a text to tell him to let him know when he arrived at the trailer. He sat in the driver's seat nervously tapping on the steering wheel, waiting to hear back from Ratner so he could walk back over and meet them. There was no way he wanted to go back and deal with Veronica's wrath over Cecelia. _It wasn't like that was even my fault anyway. And so what if I did want to have a noon quickie, it's not like I owe her anything at this point, and we haven't really even started our little charade yet._ Although there was no way in hell he'd ever touch Cecilia. He wasn't that insane. _No you're just insane enough to agree to pretend to be madly in love with your ex-girlfriend that you haven't seen in years and probably still are in love with. That's so much better and I'm sure that's going to turn out perfectly fine._

Logan jumped as a voice came through from the window on the other side of the car interrupting his thoughts, "Are you hiding from me?"

Logan blew out a breath and leaned forward and rested his head on the steering wheel. "No," he replied less than convincingly without looking at her. "I thought you were going to wait in the trailer?"

"I got bored," she flippantly replied. _Yeah, I'm sure it's boring sitting by your self when you could come and find something else to berate me about._ "I thought I'd come and take some pictures of you and the car. You know… see and be seen." She gave him a little wink and pulled her camera up and snapped a picture of him sitting in the car. "And don't forgot your role too," she added in a low whisper as she leaned into the car a bit more.

He let out a frustrated sigh as he watched her walk around the hood of the car, giving Weevil a friendly smile. "Hi, I'm Lindsey Evans," She said cheerily as she held her hand out to Weevil, "It's so nice to meet you." Logan shook his head and then gently pounded it against the steering wheel before taking a deep breath and plastering a fake smile on his face. _Why the hell did I ever agree to this?_


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N – I didn't give any of the chapters in this story titles (because for some reason I sort of suck at coming up with titles, and just decided to not bother for this story), but if I had, this one would have been called Jekyll and Hyde. **_

_**I really do appreciate everyone who's been reading the story and love all the questions and comments you all have! Keep them coming! I'll keep posting more frequent updates if I keep getting lots of reviews on the new chapters. I realize that some chapters are more exciting/interesting than others of course. This one is also a little longer than the last one was. The next one is actually one of the longer ones I've done for this story, so the faster the reviews come in the faster I'll share it. (Ah yes, bribery is fun!) **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 6

_Jekyll and Hyde_. As Logan watched Veronica interact with some of the other drivers and crew that were around, that was the first thing that popped into his head. _Lindsey and Veronica – Jekyll and Hyde_. At least out around other people, _Lindsey_ was pleasant and friendly, as opposed to annoyed angry _Veronica_ who he had dealt with in the trailer and the other night at the bar. As long as he could keep her around other people, he could enjoy a glimpse of the woman he used to love. It made it easy for him to fall into a flirtatious mood with her when she was like that. She even flirted back and played along. Of course that was short lived once Ratner showed up and the three of them went back to the trailer for his '_interview'_.

As soon as the door closed, _Lindsey_ was gone and _Veronica_ was back. The flirty smile vanished and her expression once again changed to look like she was completely pissed off. Jeff must have noticed something seemed amiss, so asked what he missed before he got there.

"I think our driver needs a reminder that our plan isn't going to work if he's hooking up with every bimbo that comes on to him." Veronica snapped, talking to Jeff as if Logan wasn't even in the room.

"I wasn't going to hook up with Cecilia," Logan blurted back rolling his eyes, anger clearly evident in his tone.

"Sorry, it didn't look that way to me with the way she had her hand in your pants," Veronica volleyed back, turning to him with a cold glare. Logan noticed Ratner looked a bit surprised as well.

"Her hand was only under my shirt, not in my pants," he quickly replied in defense. _Oh yeah, that's surely going to make this better you idiot._

"Time out!" Jeff yelled to the two of them. He let out a deep frustrated sigh. "Let's focus on what we need to do next, shall we?"

"Fine, if _Billy_ can keep it in his pants…" she trailed off as Jeff shot her a scolding look. Veronica let out a sigh and stopped. She took a deep breath, and then started again in a very methodical tone. "We need to go on a _date_ some place that other drivers typically go so we can be seen out together."

"Kinoshita," Logan said barely above a whisper.

"What?" Veronica asked as she glared at him again.

"Kinoshita. I've heard a lot of the other drivers talking about it. It's a relatively new Japanese Restaurant that's been getting great reviews and so quite a few of the racing crowd has been going there." Logan explained, talking louder than he had when he first said the name of the restaurant. He remembered Veronica used to also enjoy Japanese food, so thought that might be another good reason to take her there.

"That sounds sufficient," she replied. _Sufficient? Nice to see how much she appreciates my help._

She turned her attention back to Jeff. "Can you do a little recon on that, and see about getting us reservations?" Jeff nodded and pulled out his phone to look up information on the restaurant. "I'm going to go back out and take some photos of some of the other drivers and crew. See if there are any individuals around that are connected to our case." She turned back to Logan, "You have our new hotel information. You can pick me up early enough to make whatever reservation time Agent Ratner gets." She grabbed her camera and her bag and headed out the door.

"Wow, I'd almost forgotten how unpleasant she can be when she gets pissed off," Logan lamented to Jeff after the door had slammed behind her.

Jeff just shook his head, "If it makes you feel better, I've actually seen her treat some guys worse. Of course they were suspects and not actually guys who were supposed to be working with her, but that's something at least."

Logan scoffed back and shook his head. "Are you sure it's not too late to say you're my boyfriend instead?" Jeff chuckled and shook his head again.

"I'm going to head over to the restaurant to just do some preliminary recon and then back to the hotel." He was looking at something on his phone and then looked up at Logan a bit concerned. "Um, we haven't discussed the details of a reimbursement account for expenses. This place looks rather expensive, so it might take me a little arm twisting to get approval."

Logan shook his head and waved him off. "Don't worry about dinner, I'll take care of it. It was my choice of where to go, so I'll pay for this one."

"Okay, if you're sure. I'll text you the information when I have the reservation time." Jeff then gave him a sympathetic smile. "Good luck tonight, Admiral."

Logan took a deep breath, "At least she seems to be better when she's in character, so I'll just have to avoid the _Veronica_ portion of the evening. Any chance you could just send her in a cab to the restaurant so I won't be trapped in a car with her? Unfortunately the place is at least a 20 minute drive from your hotel."

Jeff chuckled and shook his head. "Nope. I don't think Agent Mars would be too happy about that since that wasn't the directive she gave us." Jeff gave him a little wink and headed out the door.

Logan sat down on the couch in the trailer and drummed his fingers nervously across his knees._ I could hide in here… or go back to the hotel… or go out and have a little fun with 'Lindsey' where she won't be able to retaliate._ He stood up and started toward the door. _Just remember, 'Lindsey' isn't who she really is, and anything that happens when she's playing her role isn't actually real._ He let out a frustrated sigh. _Maybe I'd better just go back to the hotel._

He really wished he could have gone out surfing to burn off some of his anxiety, but that wasn't really an easy option being in the heart of Sao Paulo City. He could have driven a little over an hour to get out to the ocean, but since he'd already driven the two hours from his home up to Sao Paulo that morning, he didn't really feel like spending that much extra time on the road again. So he settled for a swim in the pool and a soak in the hot tub to try to sooth his nerves.

It was finally time to drive over to her hotel to pick her up and he slowly made his way back to the parking level of his hotel._ Now I know how prisoners feel when they are on their way to their execution. Although that probably feels more familiar to me than a lot of other people._

As he was passing through the lobby of Veronica's hotel, he spotted a florist shop and stopped in and bought a nice bouquet of flowers. The girl behind the counter flashed him a flirty smile and commented on how lucky the lady who he was meeting was. _Yeah, I doubt she'd agree with you._

He ran into another driver in the Lobby on his way to the elevator. Logan gave him a friendly smile and the other driver raised his eyebrows at him, clearly a bit surprised to see him at the hotel that he typically avoided and carrying a large bouquet of flowers as well. As the elevator doors were about to close, another driver and his wife entered. They were staying on the floor above Veronica so chatted a bit with him on the way up. Of course they asked who the lucky lady was, and he shared that it was a beautiful photographer that he'd met today. _That sounds way better than a psychotic ex-girlfriend FBI Agent._ The wife was very impressed with the flowers and again he heard how lucky his date was to get to spend time with him. Logan was able to suppress the eye roll he felt like making at that at least.

When he reached her door, he took a deep breath and braced himself before he knocked. She came to the door with her hair up in a fancy up-do and a gorgeous dress on. For a moment it felt like the air had rushed out of his lungs and his chest ached seeing how beautiful she looked. She gave him a puzzled look when she saw the flowers. He shrugged and leaned in toward her and whispered, "Part of my cover." She nodded and took the flowers and started looking uncertainly around the room for some place to put them while Logan stood in the doorway watching her. He couldn't help but chuckle and look a bit surprised that she didn't figure out the obvious solution.

"What?" She asked narrowing her eyes at him, when she heard him laugh and saw his expression.

"Ice bucket," he said a bit smugly gesturing toward the container on the counter.

"I suppose when you live years in a hotel, you pick up some marginally useful knowledge." She snipped as she took the flowers and the ice bucket into the bathroom to fill it with water.

_Gee Logan, thanks for being helpful_. He rolled his eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. "You're welcome." He whispered mostly to himself since she couldn't possibly hear him with the water running.

She came out of the bathroom a moment later and grabbed her purse from the bed and walked out to the hall. She waited for him to move from the doorway so she could pull the door closed. There weren't any other people in the hallway, so she marched to the elevator in front of him and pressed the button. When she saw the light come on to indicate the door was about to open, she linked her arm into his and put on a happy smile and nudged him, when he didn't immediately do the same. There were a few other people in the elevator, so they stood like that the rest of the way down and she kept her arm linked through his as they made their way to the valet.

On the way through the lobby, he ran into another driver and his wife. He took a moment to introduce them to _Lindsey_, before they continued on to the car. Once they were in the car, Logan decided to comment about how things were going so far. "There should be quite a bit of buzz about us around the track tomorrow with both Cristina and Helena knowing about our big date. They both tend to gossip quite a bit about all the drivers at the track."

Veronica gave him a slightly confused look because she'd only met Cristina on their way out. "Who's Helena?"

"Oh right, she's a wife of one of the other drivers that I rode up in the elevator with on the way to your room with the bouquet of flowers." He waited for an acknowledgement that the flowers were a good way to help sell their cover, but didn't get anything. _I see she's still being as stubborn as ever and must still be pissed about Cecilia this morning._

The rest of the ride to the restaurant was spent in silence. Logan didn't want to say anything else that might cause either one of them to get mad, and she didn't seem to have anything to say either and just kept her gaze looking out the passenger window. He pulled up to the valet at the restaurant, and handed his keys to the attendant. He walked around and opened her door and then reached in to help her out. She must have gotten back into her Lindsey persona again and gave him a big smile and thanked him as he closed the door behind her. He held out his arm for her, and she wrapped hers through it as they walked into the restaurant.

The maitre d' was excited when he saw Logan walk in the door. "Mr. Deimos, it's so wonderful of you to visit our restaurant. I'll see you and your guest to your table. Right this way, sir."

Veronica gave him a curious look and he just shrugged and followed after the man. Even though he'd tried to stay out of the press as much as possible, he still tended to be recognized around Sao Paulo, which was one reason he didn't spend much time there when he didn't need to. Even though it wasn't the same type of attention he had received as Logan Echolls, he was still never very comfortable with it and tried to avoid it if he could. The maitre d' escorted them to a table that was somewhat private from the rest of the room, but could still be seen by a few of the tables near by.

After the waitress had brought their drinks and taken their orders, Logan started getting nervous and was fidgeting with his chopsticks. Veronica reached over and put her hand on top of his to get him to set the chopsticks back down. She leaned in a bit closer to be sure no one could hear her and whispered to him, "it's just dinner, you don't need to be so nervous."

He sighed and waved his hands between the two of them, "It may surprise you, but I just don't do this that often." _When was the last time I actually went to dinner with a woman?_

After Gabriela, he did his best to stay away from any potential situations where a woman would expect him to make some sort of commitment to them. He realized how horribly shallow that was, but he couldn't bear to hurt someone like he'd hurt Gabriela, like he and Veronica had hurt each other, and so he had decided to just avoid that possibility as long as he could. Any time he did hook up with a woman, he was always very selective and would make sure they were only passing through Sao Paulo with no risk of them expecting anything more than a one night stand. He'd even gotten to the point where he would also try to pick red-heads or women with jet black hair, just so they wouldn't remind him of Gabriela or Veronica. Since his accident, and his one night reunion with Gabriela, he'd avoided it even more than he had before.

Veronica gave him a skeptical look, she opened her mouth as if she were about to say something, but must have changed her mind and stopped and closed her mouth again. He sighed, "What? Just say it."

She shook her head. _Obviously it was going to be another biting remark which wouldn't work in public._ _Let me guess… something about hookers not needing to be dined first. No that seems too simple for something she would have said. _He tried not to get frustrated, and kept a grim smile on his face. He finally broke the unbearable silence after several minutes. "So _Lindsey_, what would you like to talk about?"

She took a deep breath and another sip of her wine. "What makes a good first date conversation? Hmmm... I suppose I could tell you my life story."

Logan smirked, "Yes _Lindsey_, please tell me all about your life." He couldn't help but sound sarcastic in his reply._ Good thing there aren't any tables close enough to actually hear what we are saying._

She gave him a big smile, "Well I grew up on a small dairy farm in a little town in Idaho." Logan had taken a drink of his wine and practically choked when she spoke. Her smile became even more devious as she continued to share the story of Lindsey Evan's life. "I had to get up every morning at the crack of dawn to help milk the cows with my 2 sisters and 3 brothers before we'd walk to school. And then after school I had to work in the potato fields digging up spuds, pulling weeds and chasing the gophers away." Logan chuckled and nodded.

"Let me guess," he said, enjoying her little game, "You were a band geek or captain of the chess club in high school?"

She laughed and shook her head, "Of course not, I was captain of the cheerleading squad and Prom Queen." He smirked again and nodded so she could continue. "Then I went off to college and joined a sorority. They all loved me and elected me to be their president."

"I'm sure you enjoyed ruling over all your subjects." He replied with a smirk.

"Of course, but I was a very benevolent ruler." She replied with a wicked grin. She paused a moment then continued, "So what's the life story of Billy Deimos?"

He gave her a mischievous smile. _Two can play this game_. "Well I was born and raised in a little town in Alaska." She raised her eyebrows, apparently impressed by his selection. "I lived in a little igloo with my Eskimo parents and a half dozen little Eskimo siblings. I loved doing the Iditarod, but when I lost two toes to frost bite, I decided I should look for a new type of race in a much warmer climate. I had to shave the sled dogs when we first moved to Brazil, but they've acclimated nicely now." She shook her head with a little smirk on her face. "Also being chased by polar bears wasn't as fun as it sounds. Although I did enjoy having a penguin for a pet."

"Wrong hemisphere," she commented, to which he just shrugged.

The waitress returned with their dinners at that point. They mostly ate in silence, but both made a point to keep a smile on their face in case anyone watching them was paying any attention to them. At least they had appeared to be enjoying each other's company while they were sharing their fake life stories. Occasionally during dinner they would take turns questioning the other one about their made up histories, such as what the penguin was named and how many cows they had on the farm. _Too bad our real histories weren't even close to being anything but tragic and depressing._

On the drive back to the hotel, she quickly slipped out of her Lindsey persona and back to being Veronica. After several minutes of uncomfortable silence, she did mention hearing some of the guys at the track talking about a club with live music that several of them were going to the next night and she thought that would be another good opportunity for them to be seen together. She said she had Ratner working on getting tickets for them. _Oh joy, I can hardly wait._ He just smiled and nodded in agreement.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N – Thanks again for all the reviews. I did want to at least mention that eventually we'll learn why Veronica is acting the way she is, at least her reasoning for it, but you'll need to be patient because Logan isn't going to figure that out for a while. Let's face it, Veronica was never one to just open up about her feelings, and this FBI version of her is probably even a bit more closed off than teenage Veronica ever was. They are going to be struggling a little bit with each other for a while still, so you'll have to wait for things to smooth out. And it is LoVe, sometimes when things smooth out, they flip on a dime, and get crazy again. But eventually they find their way back to each other, right? I just didn't want too many people getting too mad at Veronica, so thought I'd leave a quick note about it. Logan's a bit different in this chapter too, so I can't wait to hear what people think about this one. Is it better or worse? I'd love to know what you all think.**_

"_**They don't write songs about the ones that come easy!" **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 7

Logan could hear Weevil swearing before he'd even gotten out of the car. He took a deep breath and climbed out, ignoring the stream of expletives coming out of Weevil's mouth. He took off his helmet and gave him an apologetic look.

"What the hell was that?" Weevil yelled, at least starting to form sentences rather than just incoherent cuss words, most of them in Spanish.

"I barely skimmed the guard rail," Logan calmly replied. "You can get that touched up easily before Saturday."

Weevil stood there staring angrily at him. Logan gave him a shrug and started walking toward his trailer.

"Hey, I'm not done," Weevil yelled as Logan continued to walk.

"Sorry I'm late for my date with _Lindsey,_" Logan called out without breaking his stride.

He'd decided to go back to afternoon track times after his run in with Cecilia the day before, but could only get a really late afternoon spot. He'd sent Veronica a text to see if she could just take a cab to the track since he was going to be so late and he'd be even later if he had to drive over to get her. She'd sent back a brief, 'fine' reply.

Logan was a little surprised she was there already waiting at his trailer, though given she was also early the day before as well he wasn't as shocked. She was in a dress again, a bit more casual than the one she'd worn to dinner, but it still looked amazing on her. She'd also worn her hair down and wavy instead of up like the night before. He gave her a quick smile as he walked up. She responded with raised eyebrows likely because Weevil was right on his heels looking pissed.

"You're a little early," Logan said as he walked beside her, getting out his keys to open the trailer. "You can wait inside while I shower and change if you want."

"Hold up a minute," Weevil barked out. "I need to have a word with _Billy." _

Logan knew he was pissed since he rarely ever called him Billy. He'd usually call him Speed Racer or some other nickname in Spanish, but not Billy.

"We can talk tomorrow," Logan replied as he held the door open for Veronica and gestured for her to go in.

"No we're talking now either in front if her, or you can ask her to wait outside," Weevil angrily replied.

Logan glanced at Veronica who raised her eyebrows and shrugged.

"Fine," Logan replied and walked into the trailer.

Veronica took a seat on the couch, while Logan leaned against a counter across from her and Weevil stood with the door closed behind his back.

"What the hell were you doing out there?" Weevil yelled at him again.

"You already asked me that when I got out of the car and I already gave you my answer." Logan gave him a petulant look and crossed his arms across his chest.

Weevil glared at him. "Let me rephrase my question then. Why the hell were you driving like that?"

Logan sighed and shook his head. "My time sucked yesterday and I was making up for it today."

"Bullshit Logan," Weevil barked back. "I know what's going through that idiotic brain of yours and you'd better let it go."

Logan let out a frustrated breath. "You're the mechanic not the driver, so go run along and do your job. You don't get to tell me how to drive and I won't tell you how to fucking fix things."

Weevil shook his head. "Yeah, that's what I thought. Don't be a fucking idiot, Logan."

"It's my last race here for who knows how long so I can do whatever the hell I want," Logan angrily replied.

"Not if I don't fix the damn car you won't. Accidents can happen off the track just as easily as on it. Just because you might be leaving doesn't make you invincible," Weevil yelled back at him.

Logan stared angrily at him for a minute. "Fix the damn car Weevil," he finally said breaking the silence.

"Promise me you're not going to do something stupid and I'll fix it," Weevil countered back with an angry glare still on his face.

"Fine, just fix the damn car." Logan quickly turned without even looking at Veronica and went in the bathroom and slammed the door.

He shook his head at himself. _Damn Weevil figuring out what I was planning._ He rested against the closed door for a moment, then stepped away to strip down for the shower. He heard the door open as he was pulling his shirt off. Luckily he hadn't pulled the suit down past his hips yet. _Fuck, why didn't I lock the door?_ He spun around to see Veronica giving him a questioning look. _Although knowing her, she probably would have just picked the lock if I had._

"I was trying to take a shower, so unless you want to join me to make our little charade more believable or just for old time sakes, then I'd suggest you leave," Logan snapped at her. He was already pissed off from fighting with Weevil and really didn't feel like playing nice at the moment with her.

"What was Weevil talking about, Logan?" She asked with her arms crossed over her chest in a defiant stance.

"It's Billy," Logan corrected her.

She gave him an annoyed look. "So Weevil can call you Logan but I can't?"

"He's not supposed to call me that either, but I wasn't going to piss him off more than he already was." Logan sighed. "Seriously, I'm going to take a shower now." He reached over and turned the water on.

She gave him a defiant look. "Logan, tell me what the hell Weevil was talking about out there." She looked down in the direction of his thigh and then back up at his face, "Was your accident last year not really just an accident?"

He froze for a second. _Of course she saw the scar at my house on Sunday and would have read about the accident in the report they gave her for the case._ "No one can prove that it wasn't." He blew out a frustrated breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Last warning, I'm seriously getting into the fucking shower now, so unless you want to see me in all my naked glory again, get out."

"So you've intentionally just gotten second place in all the races since you've been back?" She asked, either not caring that he was about to strip down naked, or just not listening. _Knowing her, she's probably just not listening since it's me that's talking._

"Why does it matter Veronica." He shook his head and turned his back to her, dropping the rest of the suit off and climbing into the shower. He sighed as he heard the door to the bathroom close. _Could you have been a bigger ass to her? You know it's not her you're pissed at about this. Of course Weevil's right and if I'm going to help her, I'd better stay alive to do it._ He stood in the shower for awhile, just letting the hot water run over his body. He already felt like crap and he had to go pretend to be falling in love with Lindsey Evans all evening at the club. _Guess we'll see how good of an actress Veronica can be since she's likely pretty pissed at me now too. Maybe I'll get lucky and when I go out there, she'll have just left and given up on the whole club idea._

He finally turned off the water and reached for his towel. He dried off and wrapped the towel around him. _Damn it, why didn't I grab my duffel bag with my clothes from the other room. Oh right, I was acting like an immature ass and stormed in here after my fight with Weevil._ He took a deep breath and reached for the door handle. He was actually surprised that Veronica wasn't in the trailer. _Wow, I really didn't think she'd give up that easily._ He grabbed the duffel bag and headed back into the bathroom to change so he could drive back to the hotel. _Maybe I should call her and apologize. Although if she'd just waited and not barged in when I was going to take a shower, then I wouldn't have snapped at her. So in a way it's just as much her fault as mine. _He looked at himself in the mirror and realized he didn't really believe that. _This whole thing is so screwed up._

He threw his dirty clothes into the bag to take back to the hotel to have them cleaned and then opened the door to leave. He didn't expect her to be sitting there waiting for him again. She must have noticed the surprised expression on his face and gave him a questioning look.

"What?" She asked when he didn't say anything. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because you weren't there when I came out for my clothes," he replied. "Where did you go?"

She gave him a devious smile, "Ah, were you hoping you got out of playing the role of my date tonight?"

_Same old Veronica, answering my question with a question of her own. Good to see she's still able to deflect like a pro._ He shrugged. "You didn't answer my question."

"And you didn't answer mine, so I guess we're even." She quickly snapped back. "Are you ready to go, or do you need to go squabble with Weevil some more?"

Logan shook his head in annoyance at her. _Oh this evening is going to be so much fun._ "Let's get this over with."

He headed for the door and stood outside waiting for her. He had a scowl on his face as she came out of the trailer. He reached up to close and lock the door behind them. As he turned from closing the door, she was standing right in front of him and stood on her tiptoes so she could lean up closer to his ear.

"Don't forget you have to play nice now," she whispered. She stood back on her feet and looked up at him, with a big friendly smile on her face. She reached up and ran her hand along his cheek.

He leaned down so their foreheads were touching, and plastered on a smile. "I'm not really in the mood to play nice," he whispered back to be sure no one could hear him.

"Tough," she whispered back with a bigger smile on her face. She pulled away and grabbed his hand, "Come on handsome," she said in a louder friendly voice, "let's go have some fun."

He sighed, but kept the fake smile plastered on his face. "Anything for you, Sugarpuss," he replied as he followed her. She shot back a slightly angry glare at him for a second, which actually made him feel a little better. _I wonder how many annoying nicknames I can come up with for her before she uses a tazer on me?_

Once they were in the car, she turned to him with a determined look on her face. "We're not done talking about what you were fighting with Weevil about."

"You can talk all you like sweetheart, but I'm not saying another word about it," he replied as he pulled out of the parking lot and merged on to the highway. He caught her glaring out of the corner of his eye as he glanced over to check his mirror as he went to change lanes again. She must have decided to table it for now at least since she didn't say anymore the rest of the drive to the club.

The club was set up with dining sections that were on a higher level than the dance floor and stage. Since Logan knew they would be running late because of his practice time, he had called the club and made a reservation for a table so they could eat dinner first while listening to the opening act and then go down to the dance floor afterwards if she wanted to. He'd been to the club several times, but it had been a few years since the last time he was there. The hostess that seated them was rather flirty once he gave her his name for the reservation. He noticed Veronica looked a bit annoyed, even though he wasn't flirting back with the woman and had his hand around her waist, clearly playing his role as expected.

As they were seated their waitress also stopped at the table to see what they'd like to drink while they were looking over their menus. Logan waved for Veronica to go first. She said she'd take a glass of wine.

"We could get a bottle and share it," Logan suggested after she gave the waitress her request.

"I thought you might want something stronger than wine after your afternoon," Veronica replied with a friendly smile on her face.

"I still need to drive us back to the hotel you know," he said giving her a questioning look.

"I can drive us back. You can drink as much as you'd like." She still kept the same expression on her face that she'd had since they'd gotten out of the car. He was beginning to just think of it as her _Lindsey_ expression. _Friendly and bubbly and happy - not Veronica._

"Fine, I'll take a scotch please," he informed the waitress who gave him a friendly nod and hurried off to get their drinks.

Logan eyed her suspiciously for a moment. "Trying to get me drunk and take advantage of me?" he asked in a teasing tone.

She kept the same bubbly smile, "Honey, we both know I wouldn't need to get you drunk for that to happen."

_Is that a dig that I'm still a shallow man whore, or that she thinks I actually want to sleep with her? Whichever it is, both are completely wrong. _He glared slightly at her and shook his head. _She's probably trying to get me to loosen up so I'll talk about what happened with Weevil at the track. She should know better than to think that will work. _The waitress quickly returned with their drinks and he picked up his glass and held it up toward hers, "Cheers," he said in a slightly mocking tone but with a smile on his face. She gently touched her wine glass to his, and then nodded and smiled before she took a drink. _At least the scotch will help make this night more bearable since we're not off to a good start at all._

Luckily she was really good at playing the bubbly vapid swooning fan persona, and did most of the talking throughout dinner. Logan really wasn't in the mood for this and was thankful that all he had to do was smile and nod most of the time. His mind kept floating back to the upcoming race and how much he really wanted to beat Demétrio one more time before he left. But Weevil was right and even if he didn't do something to him on the track, that didn't mean he couldn't have something done to him after the race. Of course if he had two FBI agents watching his back, that would give him a slight advantage. He knew though that if his little vendetta with Demétrio did anything to jeopardize Veronica's case, she'd probably kill him herself.

He'd lost track of how many glasses of scotch he'd had by the time they were done eating and ready to head down to the dance floor. He was surprised at how drunk he did feel when he stood up from the table, but was able to still hold his hand out and help Veronica up. When they got down by the dance floor, he saw a few other drivers and they stopped so he could say hello and introduce them to _Lindsey_. It was likely the scotch, but he found himself having a hard time keeping his hands off of her, as well as noticing when other guys were checking her out. She didn't seem to mind when he wrapped his arms around her from behind as they were talking with one of the drivers and his girlfriend. She leaned back into him and he rested his head on top of hers. _God, this feels just like it did back in college all those years ago._ They finally moved out onto the dance floor where people were dancing while listening to the musical group that was currently playing. Given they had an audience with the other drivers they'd run into, he decided to see how far he could push things. It was most likely the scotch, but part of him just didn't care after being so close and feeling her body pressed against his while they were talking to the others. _She's the one who basically insisted I get drunk, so this is just as much her fault as mine._ He pulled her close to him as they danced and ran his hands up and down her back, venturing lower and lower each time. His pulse sped up when he felt her hands run across and shoulders and up into his hair, pulling his head down closer to her neck. He took a deep breath and then found himself letting his mouth place kisses along her neck down to her collar bone. He started getting a bit overwhelmed by the taste of her on his tongue and let one hand fall down onto her thigh and started moving it up her leg, under her short skirt.

Her hand grabbed his wrist. "The show doesn't have to be that authentic," she said in a low stern voice into his ear. The abruptness of her tone caught him a bit off guard and he stood up straight again and took a step back from her. _What the hell am I doing?_

She gave him a confused look and smiled gently at him. "You okay?" she asked in her bubbly sweet tone again.

He knew his expression must have changed to be worried but he couldn't quite change it, too many concerns were racing through his head on what he was doing and thinking a few moments ago. She took a step toward him and wrapped her arms around his neck, stepping up on her tip toes again so she could get closer to him. She gave him a warm smile then pulled his head down again so she could talk into his ear. "You need to play along remember, just relax and have fun."

He let out a deep breath and rested his forehead on her shoulder for a minute. "I just need a break and some water," he replied and then stood back up and did his best to smile at her. She nodded and took his hand and led them off the dance floor. She led the way to a bar that was on the same level as the dance floor and asked for two waters. She handed him one of the glasses and then took his free hand with hers again and pulled him through the crowd, ending back over at a table by where some of the other drivers were sitting. She guided him into an open chair, and then sat on his lap, wrapping her free arm around his neck and smiling at him._ I meant a break from playing the role, not moving the show to a new venue._

A girlfriend of one of the other drivers that was sitting close to them started up a conversation with Veronica, which at least gave him a short reprieve from having to deal with the situation. He was half way listening to them talk, and half way trying to sort through the conflicting emotions racing through his head. Veronica was talking about being a magazine photographer and some of the interesting photo shoots she'd worked on and the other woman was telling her about her job at a PR firm in Sao Paulo and some of the famous people she'd worked with. Veronica had set her glass of water on a table and reached down and grabbed Logan's free hand from behind her and wrapped it around her waist, intertwining their fingers together. He finally set his glass on the table and put his other hand on her knee, to which she gave him a small smile. She didn't drag him back out to dance again, and instead just had them stay at the table with the other drivers listening to the live music. After another hour or so, the crowd was beginning to thin out and she asked him if he was ready to go too. She of course kept the bubbly friendly act up until they were back in the privacy of the car.

"You need to work more on not being so tense." She said impassively as she started to drive off from the club. "Just pretend I'm one of the other random women you've hooked up with, and don't think about it so much." Her voice was completely devoid of emotion as she spoke and since she was driving, she wasn't even looking at him as she said it. "If you can't do that, then this isn't going to work and we really need it to work." She finally turned to him for a second with a scowl on her face, "Do you understand?"

He nodded and didn't say anything, but let out a frustrated sigh and turned to look out the window. He rested his elbow up on the edge of the door, so he could rest his head in his hand. _How the hell can I ever think of her as some random woman after all the past we shared?_ He still hadn't said anything and was just staring out the window.

She finally let out a sigh as well before she spoke again. "You have to remember, I'm _Lindsey_ when we go out, not Veronica okay? You have to forget that you ever knew me before and don't let any of those memories cloud things when we are out around other people. Can you do that _Billy_?"

_Right, I'm not Logan anymore, I'm Billy, and Lindsey and Billy don't have any history together_. "Yes," he replied. He wasn't completely convinced himself, but he would try.

"I'll call or text you tomorrow to let you know what our next steps are," she said as she parked the car in the garage at his hotel. He gave her a questioning look before he opened his door. "I'm just going to go grab a cab back to my hotel. But you could walk me to the lobby and wait with me so it doesn't look odd if any of the drivers from the club are staying here."

"Okay," he said as he climbed out of the car. He was sober enough at that point to have driven from her hotel back to his, but was too distracted to think of it until then. It was probably best to just send her on her way and get some sleep before he tried to sort through everything he was feeling.

After he watched her climb into the cab, he stopped off at the bar and picked up another bottle of Glenlivet from Adriano to take up to his room. He poured himself a drink when he got into his room, and then collapsed on the bed and hoped he wouldn't dream about how good it felt to have her body pressed up against his at the club.


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N – I'm putting this chapter up a little ahead of my normal every other day schedule because I'm not going to have a chance to do it tomorrow morning. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the reviews/comments and for continuing to read along. I really do appreciate everyone's support on it. I didn't really know when I started how long this would end up being, and I'm not really quite sure yet either, but I am out through Chapter 20 now, so thought I'd give you all a heads up that it's going to be at least that long. Of course these are relatively short chapters compared to some other stories, so that's why they are getting done faster and I've been able to get so far. And I guess maybe I'll mention again that it's LoVe and there will be some ups and downs just because that's how it always seems to be for them.**_

_**I hope everyone likes this chapter. Please let me know what you think!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 8

Logan decided to call Weevil in the morning to see what the status was on getting the damage to the side of the car from hitting the guard rail fixed before he headed to the track. _Anything to keep my mind off Veronica and this emotional mess I've gotten myself mixed up in._

"Sorry man," Logan said apologetically as Weevil answered the phone, "You're right and I won't do anything stupid on Saturday."

"Did Blondie talk some sense into you then after she talked to me?" Weevil asked.

"What?" _Of course that's where she disappeared to. I should have known she went meddling._ "She didn't mention anything about talking to you. Is that where she was while I was in the shower?"

"Ummm…" Weevil hesitated before answering, "Maybe."

"Great." Logan was pissed off all over again. "What's the deal with the car? Am I driving today, or is it going to be tied up all day to get the side fixed?" He took a deep breath and then started talking again before Weevil even answered. "You know what? I'm just taking the day off. I'll practice again tomorrow. I can get fucking second place without practicing every damn day. I'll see you tomorrow." He disconnected the call before Weevil could get another word out.

He threw on some shorts and a t-shirt and then threw some other clothes into his duffel bag and went down to his car. He headed south out of Sao Paulo City toward the ocean. He never brought a surfboard with him when he came up to race, but he knew a few places in Santos he could rent one from if he felt like surfing when he got there. He wasn't even sure he felt like going out to surf, but needed to at least get out of the city and out to the ocean. _With my luck this week, the waves will be crappy anyway._

Once he got close to Santos, he decided to avoid people and forget about surfing. The beaches near Santos were always too crowded for his liking, and so he headed past them out to where there were some less popular bluffs that he could just relax and watch the ocean from. One thing he had always loved about the ocean was its consistency and predictability. Even if you never knew how high the waves would be, you always knew there would be waves and he found that certainty of the ebbing and flowing soothing. If nothing else in his life was going well, he could always find some tranquility when he watched the ocean.

He just wanted some time to think and get his head straight before he had to deal with anything else. His emotions had been all over the place since Veronica found him in the hotel bar. At first he'd been completely shocked that she was there, and then for a brief moment he'd let himself hope that maybe she'd come to find him because she'd realized she loved him and wanted him back in her life. That seemed to be the farthest thing from the truth though when she stormed out of the bar and verbally attacked him back in their suite. _Not exactly the happy romantic reunion I'd envisioned once upon a time, that's for sure._ Then it boiled down to needing his help for a case that apparently was so important to her career that she was willing to dredge up the promise he'd made to her all those years ago just to get him to help her. He was angry because she hadn't really seemed to change at all and his feelings in the matter were irrelevant as long as she was getting what she wanted, which was his help with her case. She'd even gone behind his back to talk to Weevil about the fight they had in front of her yesterday, even though it wasn't really any of her business. _Of course Veronica always thinks everything should be her business._ He let out a frustrated sigh though when he realized what was bothering him the most. It was how cold and unemotional she could be when talking about their past and how she had basically told him that he needed to just pretend none of that mattered so he could be the perfect cover story for her. _Instead of actually talking about our feelings, as always, she's just moving on and playing a fake role. _He wasn't sure talking about things would really help, even though it might be the healthy thing to do. _But when did Veronica Mars, or Logan Echolls for that matter, ever do the healthy mature thing._ He'd tried to be better for Gabriela, but that hadn't turned out so well either. He hated himself for how he could get so caught up in the memory of Veronica almost three years after they'd broken up to ruin what he had with Gabriela, especially now that he'd finally seen her again. But Gabriela had been right, there was a part of his heart that he couldn't seem to control and he couldn't make it stop loving Veronica even when he was with Gabriela. _Which must be why it hurts so much to watch her so easily flip back and forth between Lindsey and Veronica without any emotion at all._

He sighed and watched the ocean crash against the rocks. _Maybe this is a good thing. If I can do this for her and get closure, maybe I can let go of those feelings I was holding on to and then find someone who I can really be happy with._ He'd often wondered even years ago if a lack of closure was what doomed things with Gabriela. When he'd left Neptune, some small voice in his head had held out hope that eventually Veronica would find him again. Well now she had and it was nothing like he'd expected. _Now when this is over and we part ways, I'll know we were never meant to be and I can stop waiting for something that was never going to happen._ He looked out at the horizon again watching a few clouds floating in the sky. _I just need to figure out how to do this like she does and not let it mean anything to me. _

The longer he sat and watched the ocean, the better he started feeling about things, though it still hurt more than he wanted to admit to give up that small bit of hope he'd been holding on to for all those years. Especially the realization that by holding on to that hope that he'd basically ruined what he could have had with Gabriela. _And now it's too late to go back and change that._

He took his phone out of his pocket to check the time and realized he'd put it on silence the night before at dinner and hadn't turned the sound back on. There were 3 texts from Veronica, one from Ratner, and a missed call from Veronica. The first text from Veronica was asking if he could meet her and Ratner for breakfast to talk about logistics for the rest of the week and going back to LA. The second text was basically asking where he was at and if he'd seen the first text. The third text was the one from Ratner, asking if he was intentionally avoiding Veronica and if so to at least let him know where he was. _It's not like they couldn't have just tracked my cell phone if they really wanted to find me._ The fourth text was from Veronica asking him to _please_ call when he got the message. _Hey she actually can use the word please at least in writing._ He debated about just ignoring the voice mail, but decided he'd better listen to it.

"Hi, it's me. I talked with Weevil finally and he said you seemed pretty mad when you called him this morning. I know this is asking a lot of you, and I do appreciate your help even if I may not be all that great at expressing it. Juliana called and invited us to a dinner at their house tonight if you're able to make it. She's Luis's girlfriend that I was talking to last night at the club. She said they were eating at 7pm if we're able to make it. I'm not sure where you are today and how long you were planning on being gone, so if you get the message in time, please let me know." _So a bit of gratitude before asking me to do something for the case. I guess maybe that's progress._

He didn't really feel like talking to her yet, but decided he'd stick to the plan and go to the dinner. He sent her a text that he'd pick her up at 6:30. He drove back to Santos and found a place near the beach to have lunch before he drove back to Sao Paulo. He wasn't in any rush to head back, so after he ate he spent some time just walking on the sand watching families enjoying their day at the beach. A part of him became angry again thinking about what he lost with Gabriela because of Veronica. Deep down he knew he was the only one to blame, but it was easier to deflect some of the anger to Veronica as well.

After returning to his hotel to change he headed over to hers. He left the car with the valet and took the elevator up to her floor. He took a deep breath and knocked on her door. It took her a few minutes to answer and he noticed her hair was still wet and she didn't have any shoes on yet. "I'm sorry, I'm running late. I just need to finish drying my hair and put on my sandals," she said as she gestured for him to come in. "I went for a run and got a little lost and it took me longer to get back to the hotel than I expected."

He gave her a concerned look as he walked in and leaned against a dresser. "Did Agent Bell-boy not go with you?" He didn't mean to sound so concerned about the idea of her out running in a strange city by herself, but he could hear the anxiety in his voice himself. _Maybe she won't recognize that tone._

She laughed and shook her head, "No Ratner didn't go with me." She must have recognized what the look was for, especially combined with his tone. "I am a trained FBI agent, Logan, I can take care of myself." She smiled then shook her head, "Sorry… Billy. I'm better at getting aliases right when I'm in character too. I must say I like the last name you chose though. Much better than Phobos." She gave him a small wink, and then disappeared into the bathroom closing the door behind her as the hair dryer came on. _Fuck_.

Logan took a seat in a chair and waited for her to come back out. He noticed the bouquet from the other night was sitting on the table next to her bed, still in an ice bucket. _I'm surprised she didn't just throw them out when she got back here._ The blow dryer stopped and he waited anxiously for the door to open again. She came back out a few minutes later and grabbed her sandals and sat down across from him on the bed and started putting them on. She smiled at the embarrassed expression he had on his face and shook her head. "Come on, if you're a kid with a planet for a last name, don't you think you'd end up doing a report on it at some point during your elementary school years?"

"Can we not talk about this," he replied as he was fidgeting with the seam on his jeans, hoping to just drop it. He could have feigned ignorance, but he knew she'd see through that right away. He glanced up nervously at her.

She smiled mischievously, "Sure. You could have given me a bad time about my alias, but you didn't, so I'll give you a break about yours."

_I knew that L.E. wasn't just coincidental. She picked it because of me. _ He gave her a knowing smile and nodded. _Fuck, how am I supposed to stay detached now?_

She stopped putting on her sandals, juggling one back and forth between her hands and gave him a more serious look. "Is everything okay? I don't know where you were all day, but if you want to talk about anything, just let me know. Ratner reminded me that while we do this everyday, it's not always easy for civilians to jump in and be expected to do the same thing. I tend to get way too detached from the emotional side of my cases and he pointed out that doesn't always work very well. I guess I still haven't gotten much better at playing well with others." She gave him a grimaced smile. "But to do my job effectively I can't afford to let my emotions get in the way. I guess what I'm trying to say is not to take it personally. I'm like that with everyone. I'll try to scale it back a bit though. Are you going to be okay with all of this?"

He took a deep breath before he answered. "Yeah, I'll be fine," he said with as much of a smile as he could manage. _It would certainly help if you weren't being such a bitch half the time. _She nodded and went back to putting on her sandals. He studied her a bit more as she was looking down at her feet. She was wearing more of a sun dress this time, way more casual than the other two dresses she'd worn, but she still looked really good in it. She'd put her hair back in a clip again, with some strands falling forward around her face. _Fuck, stop paying attention to what she's wearing and how good she looks._

"Ready?" She asked as soon as she finished putting her sandals on and looked up at him again. She actually still had a friendly smile on her face.

He nodded and stood up from the chair, leading the way to the door. He opened the door and held it open for her to walk out into the hall way. "Thanks Billy," she said with a big smile as she passed him and waited for him to close the door. She wrapped her arm around his as they walked to the elevator door. He was a little surprised, given the hallway was empty again that she didn't wait for the elevator to take his arm. He realized anyone could pop into the hallway at anytime, but couldn't help but notice how different her demeanor was now from the day before.

She even wrapped her arm around his waist and held him a bit tighter as they waited for the valet to bring back the car.

They'd been driving for a few minutes before she broke the silence, "So did you do anything fun today?"

He tried not to chuckle to himself. Of course not knowing where he'd been all day was probably killing her. _Same old Veronica Mars._ "Not really." At least she didn't immediately accuse him of getting into trouble or running off with some bimbo again. "How about you?" he volleyed back, not wanting to elaborate on his whole soul searching morning.

He glanced over at her for a second and saw her shrug. "I spent some time at the track taking more photos." _Probably checking to see if I was avoiding her there._ "That's where I ran into Weevil. The damage to the side of your car was all fixed by the time I left." She hesitated for a moment. "Does that happen a lot during practice runs?"

Logan let out a slightly frustrated breath. "No, I was being an idiot."

She must have sensed she hit a nerve. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to imply that you did something wrong, I was just curious." She hesitated again. "This case sort of popped up suddenly for us, and I wasn't all that familiar with all the finer details of racing. I really didn't know how common it was for that to happen."

_Wow an apology when it didn't seem to gain her any leverage. I wonder what else Ratner told her this afternoon. I may have to buy him his own bottle of Glenlivet when I get a chance._ "It happens more often with rookies, not someone who's been racing as long as I have."

"Do you want to talk about the deal with Demétrio yet?" She asked with a cautious tone in her voice.

"There's nothing to talk about. He's an asshole and people who cross him seem to have unfortunate accidents. I don't want you to get involved with it." He said abruptly.

They drove in silence for a few minutes before she started talking again. "Weevil seems pretty attached to your car," she teased, apparently trying to lighten the mood.

Logan laughed and nodded. "Yeah, he can get a bit obsessive about it sometimes. I feel bad for some of the race crew if they happen to do anything wrong on race days."

"How'd he end up down here with you anyway?" She asked curiously. "I was really surprised when I saw his picture in your file."

He gave her a quick summary of going back for the funeral and running into him at Lilly's grave. He left out the part about why he was looking for a new mechanic though. _There's no way I'm ever going to talk to her about Gabriela._ "I knew he'd throw a fit if I tried to take the car to LA without him. He may grumble about having to go, but there's no way he'd sleep at night worrying about his precious baby and who might have their hands on her."

Veronica laughed and shook her head. "Well he seems a bit protective about you as well as the car."

Logan just shrugged in reply. He really didn't know what to say about that. They'd sort of become like family being together down here over the past few years. Weevil had lived with him for the first few months, which was awkward as hell at first, but being away from Neptune and in a completely different environment, they seemed to get along much better than when they were younger. He eventually found a house not far from Logan's, which Logan insisted on buying for him since he'd agreed to come down to Brazil to work for him. Logan enjoyed calling him his indentured servant when no one else was around. He knew how concerned Weevil was after the accident though, and he knew it wasn't just about the totaled car.

"I guess we've both grown up a lot," he finally said. They drove a few more minutes in silence.

"We're here," he announced as he pulled into their drive way and parked the car.

"Do you know them well?" Veronica asked before she opened her door.

Logan shrugged. "I've been over a couple times with a few other drivers. They seem like a really nice couple. Are they on your suspicious characters list?"

Veronica sighed, "I really can't tell you those sorts of specifics."

"Fine," Logan said as he opened his door and got out._ I guess I should be thankful I'm not on her list this time._

She was already out of her side of the car before he got around to her. He put on a big smile and held his arm out for her. She smiled and wrapped her arm in his. "Ready Lindsey?" he asked with a fake amount of excitement in his tone. She nodded and he led them toward the door.


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N – It was an interesting mix of thoughts on the last chapter, so I'm really excited to see what people have to say about this one. A few people may have sort of guessed at what was going on in the last chapter that will come to light in this one. I'm expecting there to be a range of feelings about this one too.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 9

There were a few other drivers and their dates at the dinner in addition to them and Luis and Juliana. Juliana took them around and introduced them to everyone. Logan knew all of the drivers, but there were a few of the women he hadn't met before. After dinner, they were hanging out around a fire pit on the back patio having drinks and listening to music. Veronica had taken a seat in his lap again, since there were limited chairs and it seemed to fit the cover story she was working on. Logan had mostly just been sitting quietly listening to Veronica talk to some of the others sitting near them. He leaned over to reach for his beer at the same time that Veronica had leaned in the opposite direction to say something to Juliana, and they bonked heads.

"I'm so sorry," Logan said immediately, his subconscious reaction taking over. He reached up and brushed her hair away from her face to look at where he had collided with her. He hadn't actually done that particular motion in the last few days that they'd been around each other again. His hand froze, when he realized how familiar it felt and what it reminded him of. Brushing her hair away from her face was something he'd always loved doing before when they were together. _Face it, just touching her was something you always loved doing._ He'd always loved how soft her hair had been and how she'd always looked lovingly back at him.

She looked up at him with her sparkling blue eyes and smiled back. "It's okay." Her eyes seemed to be searching his to figure out what was going on with him. She must have sensed that he had totally frozen up on her again. She reached up and touched his forehead where he'd bumped into her. She sat up a little more in his lap and kissed him on the forehead where they'd collided. "Better?" she asked playfully with a little wink as her hand rested on his cheek. He nodded, trying to get his emotions in check again. _Just play along, it's not that hard._ He leaned forward and kissed her forehead in return. She gave him a small smile, and then leaned back toward Juliana again to finish whatever they were talking about.

A short while later, they were mostly by themselves as Juliana had gone back in to get more drinks and a few other people had gone inside to help her or to leave. Veronica leaned in closer to him so she could whisper in his ear. "For us to sell this, eventually we're going to have to do more than just kiss each other on the forehead." She leaned back to look at his expression after she said it, with a slightly worried look on her face. She leaned in again, "You're going to be able to do that right?"

He nodded in reply. She seemed to sigh a little, like she wasn't really convinced, but then Juliana was back again.

"I need to use the ladies' room," Veronica announced as Juliana sat back down. "Keep my spot warm for me baby," she said as she leaned in and pressed her lips into his.

To say he was surprised was an understatement. Even though she'd just basically warned him, he still didn't expect her to do it that soon. He kissed her gently back, but didn't get carried away. She gave him a sly smile, then hopped off his lap and disappeared back into the house. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath._ It's Lindsey, not Veronica. Stay detached and just go along with the act. Why the hell is this so hard?_

He opened his eyes and took a few drinks of his beer. She returned a few minutes later and sat back on his lap. He reached up and put his hand behind her head and pulled her n for a quick kiss again, "Mmm… missed you sweet cheeks." He said in a playful tone. He caught the momentary glare at the nick name.

"Aren't you just the sweetest," she teased back as she lightly slapped his cheek. He gave her a devious smile. Juliana handed her another glass of wine and while she sipped on it, he ran his hand up and down her back.

A song came on that Juliana said she loved as she jumped up pulling Veronica up with her too. "Come on, let's dance." She pulled on Logan's hand and Luis's too. Luis must have known better than to argue with her and followed her over to an open area on the patio. She dragged Logan along too and Veronica followed. It was a samba song, and Veronica stood there shaking her head, not sure what to do. Logan smirked at her and grabbed her and pulled her into him. "Just copy Juliana," he said with a playful smile. He wasn't great at the samba, even though Gabriela had tried to teach him, but he wasn't bad either. He tended to just half way get the moves, but it was still fun. Veronica laughed as she danced and tried to copy Juliana. At the end Luis dipped Juliana back and placed a deep kiss on her lips. Logan gave Veronica a devious grin before doing the same. When he stood her back up, he noticed her eyes were wider than he expected and she looked a bit breathless. He wasn't sure if it was from the kiss or the dancing. He winked at her and twirled her around as another song started. Juliana and Luis kept dancing too and Veronica was able to copy her a little better during the second song.

"You and Billy should come dancing with us tomorrow night!" Juliana announced after they finished the second song.

"How do you get any rest with her?" Logan teased Luis.

He shook his head and shrugged. "Why do you think I get afternoon track times too? At least I get to sleep when she has to get up early to go to work. I have no idea how she does it though."

"We're only young once," Juliana replied with a big smile on her face. She leaned in and kissed Luis passionately. "You know you love it!" she purred as she gave him a flirty look over her shoulder and grabbed Veronica's hand to pull her back to their wine glasses that were over by their chairs.

"Lindsey seems like a lot of fun," Luis commented as the two women walked off. "Juliana really took a liking to her." He looked a bit more seriously at Logan. "Do you think this one's going to stick around a while?" Unfortunately, _Billy's_ reputation for not getting serious with anyone after he broke up with Gabriela had spread quickly around the track.

Logan shrugged, "She's something else, that's for sure." He gave Luis a quick smile, then headed back over to his seat. Veronica had temporarily taken it, and stood up when he came over, grabbing the front of his shirt, and shoving him back into the seat. She sat back on his lap and gave him a mischievous smile before leaning in and kissing him lightly on the lips again. _She's definitely putting on a good show tonight. I wonder how involved Luis or anyone else here is with what she's investigating._ That thought worried him a bit and he started watching the other guests a bit more closely. Luis had brought him another beer and soon they were out dancing again, taking a few breaks to drink some more.

It was starting to get late, and Logan realized they'd both drank more than they really should have. Juliana must have noticed too. "Hey, you two can just crash in our guest room if you want. You probably shouldn't drive home with how much you've been drinking and getting a cab to come out here is really a pain."

Logan gave Veronica a concerned look, but she seemed perfectly happy, or just drunk, and quickly agreed with Juliana that she thought that was a _fabulous_ idea. Logan was starting to wonder how drunk she really was, versus her just acting the part, though he did seem to remember her having quite a few glasses of wine. They danced a bit more and drank a bit more, before Veronica started yawning and Juliana gave up trying to keep them awake any longer. She pulled Veronica into the house and into her bedroom to find her something more comfortable than her sun dress to sleep in.

Luis asked Logan if he needed anything, and Logan figured he'd just sleep in his jeans or boxers, as he didn't really want to borrow something from Luis. Logan shook his head and Luis pointed him in the direction of the guest room. He went in and sat up on the bed, leaning against the headboard, waiting for Veronica to return. She came back into the room a few minutes later, calling good night to the other two and closing the door behind her.

"Close your eyes," she said teasingly with a bit of a light slur to her voice. _Maybe she's more drunk than I thought._ Logan sighed and did as she asked. He sat there in bed with his eyes closed until she said he could open them. She'd changed into a night gown with spaghetti straps that hit her mid thigh. Logan's eyes opened wide as he watched her walk around and climb onto the bed next to him. She looked down at his jeans with a puzzled look on her face. "I know you hate to sleep in pants. You can just sleep in your boxers."

"It's fine," he said as scooted down and rolled over on to his side to turn off the lamp next to the bed. He rolled back over on to his back and stared up at the ceiling.

"Don't be so stubborn," she said as she reached over him to turn the light back on. He felt her body press up against his as she leaned across him. She reached the light switch on the lamp, but then lost her balance and fell on top of him so that their faces were right in front of each other.

_Oh hell, I'll just blame the alcohol._ He reached up and pulled her lips against his and kissed her much more deeply than he had out on the patio, and she kissed him back. He could taste the bitterness of the wine on her tongue, as she pushed it passionately into his mouth. He rolled her over to her back and continued kissing her for a few minutes. Then a voice in his head told him this was completely wrong, especially if she was drunk, and he stopped. "I'm sorry." He said a bit breathlessly. "I've just had too much to drink." He rolled back over again, and reached over to turn the light off again.

He heard her sigh, once the light was off. "You really don't have to sleep in your jeans if you don't want to," she mumbled as she turned over on her side to face the wall. He laid there for a while until he heard her start to snore softly in her sleep. He smiled bitterly to himself. She always snored lightly whenever she'd had too much to drink, which wasn't very often, but was always cute when it happened. She was actually still lying on top of the covers, as was he, so he turned the light back on and carefully shifted her so he could cover her without waking her up. He sighed and ran his hand across her forehead before leaning down and placing a gentle kiss there again. He shook his head sadly. _This is going to be so much harder than I thought to just go with her plan and not let my feelings for her get in the way. _Since she seemed to be basically passed out at that point, he decided he'd take his jeans and t-shirt off and climbed in to bed again and turned off the light. He wasn't sure how long he laid there just listening to her light snoring before he finally fell asleep.

Something woke him up a few hours later and he realized it was the sound of the door closing and Veronica slowly walking barefoot around the bed to the other side. _Of course, she agreed to stay just because she wanted to snoop._ He listened to her set her phone down on the table next to the bed. _I wonder where she had that hidden because it wasn't there when I was getting her under the covers._ He waited until she'd climbed into bed and laid her head on the pillow. "Find what you were looking for?" He whispered to her.

She let out a sigh, "No."

"Would you tell me if you had?" he asked quietly.

"Probably not," she answered softly.

There was a little bit of light filtering in through a crack in the curtains so the room wasn't completely dark. He stared at the ceiling for a few minutes. "Were you actually even drunk tonight?"

She sighed again, "I was a little tipsy."

He let out a frustrated breath, "Then why did you let me kiss you in here?" _And why did you so eagerly kiss me back?_

She didn't answer him. He turned his head to the side to look at her. Her eyes were closed, but he knew she wasn't asleep. He leaned back over and turned the lamp by the bed back on and then rolled back so he could look directly at her.

"Veronica?" he said in a quiet but firm voice. "Can you please answer me?"

"Can we not do this right now? Just turn the light off and go back to sleep. We can talk about it tomorrow." She rolled over to face the wall again.

He grabbed her shoulder and gently pulled her back over on her back so he could see her face. She looked slightly annoyed, but for a brief moment he saw another expression cross over her face. It almost looked like guilt. He thought back to what she said when he picked her up at the hotel. Her mood had been completely different today than any other day this week. _She'd said Ratner reminded her about working with civilians. She's been playing me since I met her at the hotel. _"Tell me the truth Veronica, or I'm not going back to LA with you." He said in a firm tone that clearly expressed he wasn't bluffing about it.

She sighed and shook her head. "I was trying to make it easier for you. Make you feel less awkward about the situation."

Logan gave her an angry glare. "You're unbelievable. Don't fuck with me again or I swear I'm not going to help you at all." He rolled over and faced the opposite wall. He turned the light back off and didn't say anything else. He was so pissed that he couldn't fall back to sleep.

He finally heard Juliana leave for work and figured Luis was still asleep because the house was still deathly quiet. He got up and put his jeans and shirt back on and kicked the bed, waking Veronica up. "What?" she asked with a sleepy confused look on her face.

"We're going." He said, tossing her dress at her and leaving the room. He waited in the car and a few minutes later she finally came out carrying her shoes and her purse in her hands.

"What was that?" She asked in an annoyed voice when she closed the door.

"Don't worry, you're precious cover wasn't jeopardized. Juliana left for work already and Luis was asleep, and I left a note." He snapped angrily at her.

"Look, I'm sorry," she replied in what seemed like a sincere tone.

"No, you're just sorry you got caught, that's all. That's the only reason why Veronica Mars is ever sorry. When things don't go exactly like you planned and you get caught, then you're sorry. You're never actually sorry for hurting other people if it means you get what you're after." Logan's voice was so full of anger, even he was a bit surprised by it. He also hadn't given much thought to what he said before it came flying out of his mouth. _Great, now I basically admitted it hurt, which of course means that I cared enough to let it hurt me. Way to stay detached there, buddy. _

Neither one said anything the rest of the way to her hotel. He wouldn't even look over in her direction as he drove because he was so furious. He parked in the front to let her out. She didn't get out, so he finally turned to look at her, an angry scowl on his face.

"We're here," he announced in a sarcastic voice pointing at the hotel. "This is the point when you get you ass out of my car Agent Mars."

"This isn't going to work like this," Veronica said with frustration evident in her tone.

"No shit," Logan quickly snapped back, "I told you from the start that this was a bad idea but you wouldn't listen to me. Instead you brought up a promise I made to you years ago and I was stupid enough to feel guilty about it and help you, even though you kept acting like an inconsiderate bitch."

"What can I do to fix it?" Veronica asked with a pleading tone in her voice and what seemed to be a sincere expression on her face.

Logan let out a frustrated breath and shook his head. "I don't know. Honestly I don't think that you can. This was just a bad idea from the start."

"I thought we were getting along better yesterday when you came to get me. I thought we were much better together at their house last night. I thought it was helping." She continued to plead with him.

"But it was all fake Veronica. It was one thing to put on a show in front of other people, but another to completely play me when we were alone. Do you even know where the real you begins and the fake personas end? Do you even know how to be honest anymore?" He quickly blurted out.

For a moment a look flashed across her face that he couldn't identify. "There's no 'real' Veronica anymore. There's just Veronica the FBI Agent who has to work her ass off to keep her career going." Her tone was defiant, but a bit sad as well.

He couldn't help but look at her sympathetically. _I wonder how much she's sacrificed to get what she wanted. I was so mad that she didn't know me anymore and had made assumptions, but I don't actually know her anymore either._

He ran his hand through his hair and then looked up at the ceiling. _She asked you for your help and you promised her you would be there for her if she ever needed it. _"I just need some sleep Veronica. I'll talk to you later."

She still didn't open her door. He looked over at her again. She was looking down at her purse in her lap fidgeting with the strap and biting her lower lip. He sighed, "If you're waiting for me to be a gentleman and come around and open your door, you're going to be waiting an awfully long time," he said in as much of a normal tone as he could manage.

She let out a soft sigh then hesitated again. "I am sorry if I hurt you. I really am. I never meant to do that." She kept staring at her lap as she spoke, not willing to turn to look at him.

_God I'm an idiot to keep agreeing to help her._ He let out a deep breath before he finally spoke again. "I'm fine. I was just tired and angry when I figured it out. As long as you don't pull shit like that again, I'll still help you. But this is your last chance Veronica. Do you understand that?" He shook his head and gripped the steering wheel a bit tighter, "I'll send you a message later when I wake up so you can let me know what we need to do next." He watched her nod her head and finally open her door and climb out. She didn't turn to look at him at all as she walked back into the hotel. _I sure as hell hope this really doesn't take months, or I have no idea how I'm going to survive it_


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N – I'm glad most of you felt better about Logan's reaction in the last chapter. This one might be sort of boring, but the next chapter will be them at a dance club again. We're getting closer to the race and big party too.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 10

Logan slept for several hours when he got back to his room. It was eleven when he finally climbed out of bed and went to take a shower. He had a 4pm track time, so that left a few hours to deal with Veronica and Ratner in between if necessary. He wondered if she was going to insist that they go dancing with Juliana and Luis or not. He was too pissed earlier to even ask about that, but he hadn't forgotten the offer either.

He thought about the drivers that were at the dinner and wondered if any of them could be mixed up with something illegal that Veronica would be investigating. He didn't know two of the guys that were there all that well, but did know Luis and another guy, Olavo, fairly well. Olavo was married to a woman named Neves, who was there for dinner as well, and he thought they had one or two kids. He really couldn't see Olavo being mixed up in anything illegal, although Luis, he couldn't be so sure of. Luis was a nice enough guy, but Logan had seen him being chummy with Demétrio, so he wouldn't be surprised if he was up to something as well.

A portion of the drivers lived in Sao Paulo, like Luis and the other guys that were at dinner, while the rest lived out of town and came in for the races. Marcos, Gabriela's brother, lived out of town and came in for a few days like Logan. He and Alex always drove up to Sao Paulo together and would have been at the track the day before. Gabriela usually only drove up on Saturday mornings to watch Marcos race and then would go home the next day, taking Alex with her. Marcos might stay around the city for a day or two, depending on who he'd hooked up with before then. He knew Marcos and Luis weren't particularly fond of each other, so he hadn't worried about him being at the dinner, but if they went out dancing on a Friday night, there was a good chance they'd run into him. Marcos had been married when Logan had first met Gabriela, but since that time, he'd gotten divorced and was enjoying his single life again. In Logan's idiotic attempt to get over the pain of losing Gabriela, he ended up partying quite a bit with Marcos and the two of them had gotten into a lot of trouble together. He knew the dance club Juliana would probably be going to was one that Marcos frequently went to as well.

He was debating about whether to just avoid Veronica the rest of the day so he wouldn't have to risk her wanting to go dancing and running into Marcos. It's not that he expected Marcos to immediately tell Gabriela about seeing him with her, he was more worried about what Marcos might say to Veronica._ Although why does that really matter. So what if she finds out some of the stupid things I've done over the years I've been here. It's not like she cared enough to come find me until she needed my help anyway._

Logan finally climbed out of bed and jumped into the shower. He stayed under the hot soothing water a really long time to try to get rid of some of the tenseness he felt in his muscles. He was contemplating setting up a massage as he wrapped his towel around his waist and went back out to get some clothes.

"Fuck!" He yelled when he opened the door to find Veronica sitting on one of the chairs. "What the hell are you doing in my room? You scared me to death!"

"Sorry," she said apologetically, though he could see there was a bit of a smirk there too. "I knocked and you didn't answer, so I got one of the hotel staff to let me in."

"I said I'd call you when I was awake," he replied in an annoyed tone.

"Well you're awake and you didn't call, or are you going to tell me you're just walking and showering in your sleep?" She had a playful expression on her face, just like when they were younger and she was giving him a bad time.

He sighed and shook his head. "Well you're lucky I actually had a towel on since I didn't expect anyone to be out here."

She shrugged and kept smiling at him. "It's not like you didn't already flash me the other day in your trailer."

He smirked a bit at that, "Well I did give you like a dozen warnings and you wouldn't take the hint. That's not really my fault at all." He looked at her a bit more smugly, "I'm starting to think you really do just want to see me naked. You were pretty insistent last night that I take my pants off too."

She gave him a smug smile and shook her head. She picked up a bag that was sitting next to her on the table and shook it. "I brought you some bagels if you're hungry."

He smiled a bit mischievously, "You're the one who used to be _easy_… to buy off with food, not me." He walked over to the dresser and pulled out some boxers, and pulled them on under his towel giving her a devious smile the entire time. She just rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. He tossed the towel on the bed, and grabbed a t-shirt and pulled it on. Once it was over his head, he noticed she was staring at the scar on his thigh.

"I read that it was a pretty bad accident," she said gesturing toward his leg. He sighed and nodded, and went to the closet where he'd hung up his jeans.

"So to what do I owe the pleasure of this surprise visit? Why isn't Agent Bell-boy with you?"

"You know he's going to get mad if he hears you actually call him that." Her tone had an edge of warning to it, but it wasn't terribly serious. She also had a little smirk on her face.

Logan shrugged, "If he's going to call me Admiral Moneybags, then I'm going to call him Agent Bell-boy. Seems like a fair deal to me."

She smiled and shook her head. "So what are you calling me then?"

Logan laughed and shook his head back at her, "Yeah, I'm not that stupid. I haven't actually seen your gun, but I'm pretty sure you're armed most of the time."

She gave him a sly little smile, "Agent Bell-boy's armed too and that doesn't seem to stop you."

"Yeah, but I know he's the rational one of the two of you and he wouldn't put a bullet in me for an amusing quip. You, I'm not so sure about."

She gave him a fake gasp and looked a little put out. "I'm rational too."

Logan laughed again and nodded, "Sure, you keep telling yourself that sweetheart."

He pulled on his jeans and went and sat at the end of the bed. "So, what was so urgent that you couldn't wait for me to call?"

"I did wait… for a while. I didn't expect you to sleep so late."

Logan shrugged. "I never fell asleep again at Luis's, so I was tired." He sighed and started fidgeting with the edge of his t-shirt. _And now I'm pissed at her again._ "What do you want Veronica?"

She sighed before she answered him, apparently noticing the change in his tone. "I wanted to see how you felt about going dancing tonight with the other drivers."

"You could have just called me."

"No, I wanted to _see_ how you really felt about it, and I wouldn't really be able to tell over the phone." _Yeah like my tone wouldn't have been evidence enough._

He shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh, "Veronica, just tell me what you want me to do. I said I'd help you with your case as long as you don't pull anymore shit with me. You're the one in charge, so you get to call the shots."

Veronica let out a deep breath and shook her head. "There are certain things that I need you to do, but other things are more like nice to do because they may or may not actually move the case along. So you can push back on some things and I'll let you know if they are mandatory or not. Okay?"

Logan chuckled.

"What?" She asked with a confused expression on her face.

"I'm glad groping you on the dance floor is '_mandatory'_. Not many jobs come with that as one of the required job duties."

She rolled her eyes at him and shook her head, but he caught a small amused smile on her face.

"Seriously though, do you think it would help your case to go to the club?"

She shrugged before she spoke. "Do you know if there will be a lot of other drivers there?"

"Yeah, usually there are a lot of drivers in town by Friday for the race and the club Juliana usually goes to is pretty popular with the drivers and their crew."

"It might help then," she replied with a thoughtful look on her face.

"Okay, but I have two requirements." He waited until she nodded and then he continued. "First, we can't stay super late because I do have to get enough sleep before the race tomorrow." She gave him a skeptical look but nodded in agreement. "The second is that I'll pick you up and take you to the club, but not to dinner tonight. I already have dinner plans for tonight that I'm not going to break."

She looked at him curiously, but nodded. "Wait, are your dinner plans going to mess up our cover story?" She asked with a slightly annoyed look on her face. Logan smiled and shook his head._ This is going to drive her crazy all day and I'm just going to let it. _

"Fine," she replied, but still looked a bit annoyed that he wouldn't elaborate.

Before she left, they spent a little time going over some of the logistics for traveling back up to LA. When they were done with that he said he'd pick her up at 9 to go to the club.

"So where are you going for dinner tonight?' She asked with a smug smile.

He smirked and shook his head at her.

"What?" she protested with a devious smile. "I was just wondering where a good place to go for dinner tonight might be."

"I hear room service at your hotel is fabulous," Logan replied with a wink.

She sighed at her failed attempt to get more information about his dinner plans. She told him that she'd text Juliana and be sure they knew which club they were going to be at just to be sure it was the one Logan thought it was and she'd text that to him later. She was about to leave when she turned back to him. "I am sorry about last night. I know I crossed a line that I shouldn't have. I really do appreciate that you're helping me."

He gave her a grim smile and nodded, "I'll see you later tonight Veronica." She nodded and then left.

He spent the rest of the afternoon at the track talking to Weevil and doing his practice laps. He had better times than Tuesday and didn't get out of control like Wednesday. Weevil gave him a knowing nod when he final came in from his last lap. After they had the car all prepped for the race the next day, Logan and Weevil went to dinner at a small hole in the wall pizza place that they went to every Friday that they were in Sao Paulo for races. It had become a ritual for them pretty much ever since the time that Weevil came to work for him. They hadn't missed a single time since they found the place.

"No Blondie?" Weevil asked as they took a seat in their regular booth in a back corner.

Logan shook his head. "No I needed a break. But I'm picking her up at 9 to go dancing."

Weevil laughed. "Dancing and dining, what a tough gig you have."

Logan shook his head again, "You have no idea how bad it's really been man."

Weevil rolled his eyes at him, "Right. Dinner at Kinoshita. Dinner and dancing the next night. What was last night? Dinner at Luis's right? I know Juliana is a damn fine cook, so I'm sure that was terrific."

"It's not the venues that have been the issue. It's been the company." Logan let out a frustrated breath.

"So you two are still fighting like the good old days?" Weevil smirked at him.

Logan nodded. "It's actually worse now. She's not exactly the same person that she used to be."

Weevil gave him a confused look, "I spent some time with her yesterday while you took off to get over your little temper tantrum, and she seemed the same to me."

Logan gave him an annoyed look about the temper tantrum comment.

"Well she's not the same around me at all." Logan finally said before taking a bite of pizza.

"Did you ever stop to think about why that might be?" Weevil asked giving Logan a questioning look.

"Because she hates me for some reason now?" Logan said with a shrug.

Weevil shook his head. "How could she hate you? She didn't hate you when you left did she? So why would she hate you now?"

Logan shook his head, "I have no idea."

Weevil gave him a pointed look before he spoke. "Maybe you should stop being an idiot and just ask her."

"Yeah, right. Come on Weev's, you know us. Communication was never something we were good at and I don't think that's changed now. Remember the whole, 'accused me of killing Lilly instead of just talking to me' fiasco?" Weevil gave him a slightly guilty look, before Logan finally continued. "And it doesn't really matter. I'm doing this favor for her and then we'll say our good byes and never have to cross paths again."

"Right," Weevil said skeptically as he shook his head and reached for his beer.


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N – I thought I'd post the next chapter a little earlier again. I know everyone is impatiently waiting to find out why Veronica was acting the way she was when she first got there and sorry you're going to have to wait a while. There was actually a partial hint to part of it early on in the story, which you should figure out later when they finally do talk everything out. Of course I knew it was a hint, since I knew where it was going. I'm just evil I guess! **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I love reading some of the theories people have too. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 11

Logan got back to her hotel about 45 minutes earlier than he had told her and debated about whether to just wait in the bar or head up to her room. She was staying at the hotel that the majority of the racing people stayed at, and where the paparazzi frequently would congregate to get pictures of the racers and other celebrities that came to see the races. They were typically worse on Saturday though since the big after party was held there in the giant conference center connected to the hotel. He decided since she showed up in his room unannounced that morning, that he'd just go up and be early. He also decided that turn around was fair play. He saw an attractive young woman was working at the check-in counter so he went over to see if he couldn't get a key card to Veronica's room. He gave the woman his best flirty smile, and explained he'd accidentally locked himself out of his room. She simply asked what name the room was under and what room number it was, and happily handed the card over to him with a smile.

He was hoping Veronica might be in the bathroom when he arrived, because if she wasn't, sneaking in wasn't going to be as much fun. He tapped lightly on the door and when there wasn't an answer, he unlocked the door and slowly opened it, looking cautiously inside. He was happy to hear the blow-dryer going in the bathroom, so he took a seat on the couch with a big grin on his face. Of course he hadn't thought the plan through completely and was a bit shocked when she came out of the bathroom in nothing but a lacy bra and a matching thong.

"Oh my god Logan!" She screamed when she walked out from the bathroom and saw him sitting there. She tried her best to cover herself up with her hands, but of course that was totally useless.

"I'm so sorry," he said as he covered his eyes with his hands. His shock had been replaced by embarrassment, which caused him to laugh a bit uncomfortably.

He heard her grab the dress that had been lying on the bed._ That was probably a pretty good clue that she wouldn't be dressed when she came out of the bathroom, you idiot._ The next thing he knew he was being hit in the head with a pillow.

"I said I was sorry," he replied after the pillow hit him. "Can I open my eyes yet?"

"Yes," she said in an irritated tone. "How the hell did you get in here?"

He held up the key card and smirked at her. "You really should deadbolt the door you know?"

"Point taken," she scowled at him and shook her head. "Payback?"

He nodded and smiled again. She finally smiled a bit and shook her head at him. "You're really early and I'm not quite ready yet."

"I got done with my dinner date earlier than planned, so headed over here." He saw the look of curiosity cross over her face which made him smile mischievously at her. "It's killing you to not know who I had dinner with isn't it?"

She gave him a slightly annoyed look and then went back into the bathroom to finish getting ready to go. He laughed softly as he watched her retreat._ One thing that's still the same is her undying curiosity to know everything._

She came back out a few minutes later with her hair and make up finished and grabbed a pair of heels from the closet. He hadn't really paid that much attention to the dress she had put on, but now he did. It hit her about mid thigh, and showed off all of her curves. He'd noticed she looked a bit curvier in the other dresses, but this one really left nothing to the imagination and he realized how much her body had changed over the years since he'd last seen her. Her arms and legs also seemed to be more toned now, likely from getting in better shape as an agent for the FBI. _Damn it, why'd she have to wear a dress like that when I'm trying to bury all my old feelings for her. It may be shallow, but it would be so much easier to do if she looked horrible and not smoking hot... don't forget how much of a bitch she was to you earlier… ah foreplay… I'm so pathetic. _

She gave him a peculiar look as she straightened back up from doing the straps on her heels. "Were you just checking out my ass, _Billy_?" she asked in a teasing tone.

Logan smirked when he realized she had caught him looking and just nodded his head. "Of course I was _Lindsey_. Just practicing for tonight at the club. You know, trying to get into character."

She gave him an uncertain look and her tone became slightly irritated. "Well I'm ready to go if you're done checking out the merchandise."

He stood up and walked past her and opened the door for her. "Showtime my dear," he said with a little wink. There were a lot more people staying at the hotel now and several other people were walking along their floor. He wrapped his arm around her waist and gave her a quick kiss on the temple as she came out and joined him in the hall. She looked a bit surprised by his change in demeanor from earlier in the day, and gave him a tentative smile as she wrapped her arm around his waist as well.

_If I have to endure this, I'm going to do the most to enjoy myself._ When they walked into the elevator, there were a few other younger couples on it as well, dressed as if they were going out for the night. He pulled her closer to him in the corner and then leaned down and kissed her deeply. "Can't we just stay in and have fun tonight instead baby?" He asked after he pulled his lips away from hers.

She gave him an uncertain smile and then smacked his cheek lightly and shook her head. "No you promised me you'd take me dancing," she said in a slightly whiny voice with a pout on her lips.

He winced slightly at the slap, but kept a lecherous smirk on his face. He rolled his eyes in an exaggerated fashion and looked to the guy standing closest to him. "She's so demanding, but smoking hot in bed, so what are you gonna do?" The guy laughed at his comment and Logan smiled wickedly down at Veronica who was looking up at him with a bit of a glare. The other two couples exited on the next floor, where the hotel restaurant was located, while they stayed on to go down another flight to the lobby. As soon as the door closed, she spun to look at him with an angry expression on her face.

"Too much?" he asked when he saw her expression.

"Just a bit," she said angrily to him. "I'm supposed to be your girlfriend, not a pay by the hour hooker."

He smiled at her and shrugged. "Sorry, I was just trying to get into character. You wanted Billy Deimos, international playboy right? He's more into hookers than girlfriends. I'm sure you could play the role of a hooker just as well anyway."

He watched as her jaw tightened and her expression became even angrier._ Fuck, why did I have to say that?_ Luckily the door opened before she could slap him again or say something else. A few people were coming in as they were going out, so he had a moment of safety before he had to face her again. He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to the side of the lobby, away from where other people were walking.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he said sincerely as he moved closer to her, pinning her against the wall. He could tell she was still pissed by the way her jaw was clenched and she was taking small fast breaths and not looking him in the eye. He reached up and brushed a strand of hair out of her face and leaned in closer as he talked to her. "I'll be good, okay? No more sleazy playboy. I was just playing. That's not me at all. I'm sorry." At first a part of him had actually been glad that he'd pissed her off after what she'd pulled the night before, but then he saw her reaction and the hurt in her eyes and no matter what, he couldn't do that to her. Maybe she could be cold and not care about other people's feelings, but that wasn't him. At least not anymore. Maybe 17 year old Logan had been like that, but he was long gone and he hadn't been purposely malicious to anyone since then. 

She took a deep breath and nodded. He rested his forehead against hers for a minute. "I'm sorry I did that. I guess I was still pissed about last night." She sighed and started to relax. She'd been looking down at the floor until then and looked up at him.

"I said I was sorry about that this morning," her expression seemed confused and apologetic.

"I know. You did and I had no right to act like an ass." He gave her a small lop-sided smile. "Old habits… or was it old dog…"

She sighed. "Kiss me, okay? In case anyone saw us come over here and are still watching us." She said looking intently into his eyes.

He nodded slightly, then leaned in and kissed her gently. He moved one of his hands up to gently brush some loose strands of hair out of her face as he kissed her. She smiled at him as he pulled away from her and he reached out his hand to lead her back through the lobby. She took his hand and started walking with him.

"The club's actually just a little over a block from here. I was thinking we could walk or take a cab, so I wouldn't have to try to park. If that's okay with you?" _I also don't want to be trapped alone in a car with you right now, even if it is only a block away._

She smiled and said walking would be fine, and maybe they could catch a cab back later. He was so thankful he didn't have to climb into a car alone with her after what had just happened. He didn't want to imagine how ugly that could have turned out. _Hopefully by the time we head back tonight, she'll have forgotten that or have something new to be pissed at me about._ He did wrap his arm around her waist again to keep her close while they were walking. Even though he knew she was a trained FBI agent, he still had a hard time not wanting to protect the petite vulnerable woman he couldn't help but remember her being sometimes all those years ago.

The walk seemed to help calm her nerves down and when they reached the club she was back to being bubbly happy Lindsey. She sent Juliana a text to see if they were there yet and to find out where in the club they might be. Juliana came back towards the entrance to find them and take them back to their table. One of the other drivers, Miguel, from the night before was there at their table too with his girlfriend. Juliana grabbed Luis's hand and Veronica's and pulled them toward the dance floor. Veronica grabbed at Logan's hand before she got too far and pulled him with her as well. They stayed out and danced for a few songs. At first Logan was trying to keep his distance as they danced after the whole elevator fiasco, but she reached up and wrapped her hands around his shoulders and pulled him closer. She gave him a flirty smile, then leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips and a little wink. She pulled him down so she could talk into his ear. "You don't have to go from one extreme to the other, okay? There's a lot of ground in between that's completely acceptable. Remember the mandatory groping?" She leaned back and gave him a smile. He picked her up and spun her around, making her laugh before he gave her a quick kiss on the lips. After the song ended, Juliana yelled at them that they were going to go back and get some drinks. Logan and Veronica followed them off the dance floor, holding hands and trying not to lose each other in the crowd.

Logan asked Veronica what she wanted to drink and then fought his way to the bar, leaving her with Juliana at the table. On his way back to the table with the drinks he of course ran into Marcos.

"Hey I didn't expect to see you here tonight. I didn't think you did the club scene that much anymore." Marcos said when he saw him. Logan shrugged and Marcos noticed that he was carrying two drinks. "Oh, I see. You're here with a lady," he added with a little wink. "Well I just must meet this lucky woman." Logan shook his head. He knew there wouldn't be any way to avoid having Marcos meet her now no matter what he might say.

Logan fought his way back to their table with Marcos right on his heels. Logan sat down next to Veronica and she snuggled up closer to him, placing a kiss on his lips. "Thanks for the drink baby," she said in her bubbly playful voice as she took the glass from him. She noticed Marcos sit down next to Logan. "Who's your friend?" she asked innocently.

"Marcos Cardozo, this is Lindsey Evans. She's a photographer." Logan said quickly. "Marcos is one of my fellow drivers."

Marcos smiled and reached out his hand for Veronica's and then kissed the back of it. "It's a pleasure to meet you Miss Evans. And fellow driver? Please, we're more like brothers. I hope Billy here's treating you well. And if he's not, just let me know because I'd be happy to take you off his hands." He looked up and down her body appreciatively after he finished talking. Logan felt a sharp tinge of anger course through him, but didn't let it show.

Veronica laughed and shook her head. "I'd never want to trade in this handsome sexy stud," she said in an exaggeratedly sweet voice as she leaned in and kissed him again. "In fact, I've been telling him all week that he needs to come back to LA with me and race there. I just can't bear to leave him behind and I think he'd love it in LA."

Marcos raised his eyebrows, clearly very surprised at the idea of Logan leaving Brazil to go back to the US. Logan smiled and tried to keep up the act and not let Marcos figure out something was going on. Unfortunately Marcos did know who Logan was and where he was from. "LA really?" Marcos asked giving Logan a curious look. "You're not seriously considering that right? I think you'd have more luck Miss Evans if you just moved down to Brazil than getting _him_ to go to LA with you."

Veronica gave Logan a pout. "You'd come to LA with me wouldn't you baby? You said it sounded like a really great idea when we were talking about it last night in bed."

Marcos laughed and shook his head. "I'm sure lots of ideas sound great to Billy in bed."

Logan scowled and elbowed Marcos in the side. "Well even if I can't steal you away from him, can I at least have one dance with you?" Marcos asked reaching his hand out toward her.

"You won't get too lonely here without me will you?" She asked Logan with a little pout on her face.

"I will, but I don't think Marcos is going to quit until he gets his way." Logan leaned in and kissed her again. "Have fun sweetheart."

Logan wasn't sure if Veronica was actually looking for a way to get out of dancing with Marcos or not, but he also knew that Marcos wouldn't leave them alone until he got a chance to dance with her if that's what he wanted to do. He hoped this way he'd decide to move on and find someone else to entertain himself with, rather than sticking around with them all night. Logan sat and drank his scotch while he waited for them to return. After the song ended, he started watching for them to come back, but after a few minutes into the next song, he didn't see them and wondered if they had stayed out for the next song since they had gone out part way through the prior one. He knew that Marcos could be persuasive, but he didn't think he would seriously try to hit on someone Logan was there with. He started getting impatient and decided if they weren't back after the next song started, he'd go and check on them. The second song ended and he was watching for them again. He was about to stand up and head to the dance floor when he finally saw them coming back. He gave her a smile, and she smiled back, then came over and sat in his lap instead of the original seat next to him that she'd had. She gave him a longer kiss, then leaned back and said she'd missed him in her sweet bubbly voice.

Marcos gave Logan another curious look, and then said he was going to go mingle and maybe he'd catch up with them again later. As Marcos walked off, Logan looked at Veronica. He pulled her closer and whispered into her ear. "Are you okay?" There was something about her behavior when she came back that felt off to him, but he couldn't quite figure out what it was. And it was even harder to separate her acting from reality. She gave him an unreadable look and nodded. Logan ran one of his hands up to her cheek and looked at her more intently. "What's wrong?" he asked since it seemed like something wasn't quite right with her. She shook her head and then rested it against his forehead for a moment. _What the hell did Marcos do? He wouldn't do something to try to hurt her, but could he have said something that would have rattled her like this? _If Marcos had said something that bothered her, she must have pushed it to the back of her mind when she sat back up. "Come dance with me," she said standing up with a smile and pulling on his hand. He nodded and stood up and followed her back out to the dance floor. _I hate not being able to tell if something's real with her or part of her act. I'd be willing to bet that Marcos said something that bothered her by the way she seemed so different when she'd first come back though. _Dancing again she seemed as happy and carefree as she had before though. They danced for two songs then went back to the table again.

They ended up spending a couple hours at the club. She spent most of the time talking with various people at the table, although they did dance a few more times. They put on a good show both on and off the dance floor with flirty smiles and little kisses, and some wandering hands throughout the night too. Logan had to frequently remind himself that it was all part of her act when he found himself getting too caught up in the emotions he was feeling. He tried not to drink as much either, partly because he had to race the next day and didn't want any chance of a hangover, but also because he didn't want to get too carried away like he did at the other club. They'd had good times when they were dating, in between the bad times, and being with her when she was happy and flirty brought back so many memories of all those good times. He'd of course never forgotten her, but being there with her again he started noticing all the little things he had missed, like the way she would laugh and push her hair behind her ears. All her little glances and playful little smiles.

Marcos didn't happen to stop by again, which made Logan even more suspicious about what had happened between them on the dance floor. They took a cab back to her hotel and he walked her up to her room to say goodnight since there were so many other people around and she wanted it to look convincing. She was still carrying on her normal Lindsey demeanor, so he decided not to ask about Marcos in case he misread the situation. He gave her a kiss outside her room to put on a show for people walking by, and said he'd see her the next day.


	12. Chapter 12

_**A/N – I thought I'd be nice again and post the next chapter a little earlier. It's sort of another short chapter anyway and gets us closer to the race and the party. I don't speak Portuguese, so I used a translator online and I hope it's not totally wrong! I apologize if it is. I did put what I thought it said in English too at least. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I love reading some of the theories people have too. It took me a while to figure out how to get Logan to find out what Marcos said because he wasn't there and it had to stay all from his POV. I hope you all like my creative approach.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 12

Once Veronica had closed her door and Logan started walking back toward the elevators, he saw Ratner pop out of his room. Logan was a bit surprised but followed him in to see what he wanted.

"That was a pretty crappy thing you did to her in the elevator you know, even if she has been a bit of a pain this week. Stunts like that aren't going to help with our investigation and I care as much about this as she does." Ratner barked at him once the door was closed.

Logan gave him a surprised look. "She was wearing a bug?"

"Yeah, she thought given there could be a lot of questionable people at the club that it seemed smart to have a little extra back up in case anything got out of hand. She probably should have told you."

Logan shook his head and ran his hand through his hair. "No, I should have just assumed it, knowing who I'm dealing with. Did she wear one all the other days too?"

Ratner shook his head. "No, just tonight. She turned it on before you two left the hotel room to go to the club."

Logan thought about Marcos again. "Hey, she danced with a friend of mine tonight, and seemed a bit off when she came back. Do you know what he said to her?"

"Friend?" Rather asked with a surprised look on his face and then shook his head. "Yeah, I know what you're talking about but he sure didn't sound like that great of a friend."

Logan gave him a concerned look._ What the hell did Marcos say to her?_ "Can I hear what he said?"

Ratner looked at him for a moment then shrugged and nodded. "Yeah, I don't see what it would hurt." Ratner sat down on the couch across from his open laptop and picked up a wireless headset and started to click on the keys. Logan walked over and took a seat next to Ratner and watched him listening to the recording. While Logan watched him, he wondered if she recorded anything that would help their case. After a few minutes, Ratner pulled the headset off and pressed a key so the sound came through the speakers instead when he got to the right part of the recording.

Marcos's voice came through the speaker when he pressed the key. "_Sorry to tell you this beautiful, but there's no way Billy is going back to California with you."_ He paused a moment, then started talking again. "_Although he also swore he'd never date blonds again because of the bitch in California that broke his heart a long time ago, so maybe you do have some sort of magical power over him. I'm guessing though that power is just your smoking hot body, which he'll probably get tired of before you get him back to LA with you. I never tire of hot little blonds though, so when that happens you should definitely give me a call." _Logan heard Veronica respond next, her voice was less friendly than she'd been at the table. "_Well maybe you don't know him as well as you think you do."_ Marcos laughed before he replied. "_A minha doce menina tola, I've known him for over five years. I think I know him much better than someone who just met him this week._" Veronica's voice came through again with a feisty tone, "_He might just surprise you._" Ratner flipped off the recording after that.

"They didn't say anything else really after that and then she went back to you." Ratner explained.

"Fucking Marcos," Logan said angrily.

"What did he say in Portuguese? I didn't bother to try to translate it." Ratner asked curiously.

"My sweet foolish girl," Logan growled as he shook his head and leaned back on the couch. "Well I'm sure that's not going to help her hate me any less."

Logan looked at Ratner for a moment. _I wonder if he knows any useful information that could help me._ "Hey, any idea why she seemed to hate me so much when you two got here?"

Ratner shrugged and shook his head. "Why don't you ask her?"

Logan laughed, "Do you honestly think she'd just tell me? Has she really changed that much to where she likes to discuss her inner most feelings?"

Ratner chuckled and shook his head again, "Fair point. Sorry man, I don't know. You could always try to ask though."

Logan stared at the laptop thinking for a few minutes. "What was in my file anyway?" _Maybe there was something there that had pissed her off that at least if I knew what it was, I could figure out how to handle it better._

Ratner looked at him for a moment, and then must have felt enough pity for him to help him out. He reached over to his laptop case that was on the end of the couch, reached into it, and then tossed a file on his lap. "Want a drink? I don't have any top shelf scotch, but I can offer you a beer if you want one."

"Sure," Logan answered as he started to look through the file. There wasn't a lot of information, which he was actually sort of surprised about. There was an article about the accident the year before and a few others about races he'd been in. There were a few interviews he did as well, though he really did try to avoid those as much as possible. In the back there were some pictures of him at the track and Weevil was in a few of them. There was one of him at an after party too with a tall red-head. He had his arm wrapped around her waist and she was smiling and whispering something into his ear. "This was about a month ago." Logan said as he took the picture out and looked at it.

Ratner looked at the picture as he handed him the beer and sat back down on the couch. "Yeah, actually I took that one. I came down to Brazil to scout out potential drivers to work with us on the case. We didn't want any local drivers and not too many US drivers that we thought we could trust wanted to come to Fontana, so I thought I'd check out some other options."

"Did Veronica come with you?" Logan asked with an intrigued look on his face.

Ratner shook his head. "No she had some excuse not to come and I came down with a different agent who's on our larger team."

Logan glanced at the picture and his eyes opened a bit wider. The redhead said she was a journalist from South Carolina. He remembered the southern accent. "She wasn't the agent was she?" He said pointing at the picture.

Ratner laughed and shook his head. "No, but damn, I'd love to be her partner."

Logan scoffed and shook his head at him. He finished looking through the file and saw some notes that Ratner may have made from talking with other people at the track. One of the comments was that he definitely likes women. Logan rolled his eyes at that. There was a sheet that looked like it was from a profiler that may have studied all the information and put together a summary. _Skilled driver with several impressive wins… seems to be a bit reclusive… very close with his race crew… no significant long term relationships…_ _no recently recorded issue with local law authorities… race sponsorship seems suspicious and corporations not verified yet…_ Logan chuckled at that. He'd set up the fake corporations because he didn't want other racers to know he was the one funding himself because he didn't want them to know how rich he really was. …_no red flags if agents feel he's trustworthy._

"You know, now that I think about it, I'm guessing she must have already known you were here." Ratner said, apparently thinking back to the prior month. "She didn't seem as surprised as I would have expected when I mentioned stumbling across you down here when I got back. I mean, I was certainly surprised when I saw you and recognized you from Neptune. She sort of tried to act like it was news to her, but now that I think about it more, I think she knew you were here and probably hoped I didn't figure it out. I wonder if that's why she didn't want to come down here with me too." _So she knew I was here and never bothered to try to contact me before?_

Nothing in the file really stood out as something she'd hate him for though. She couldn't have been surprised that he'd be with someone else after all those years, so that couldn't have been the main thing that had made her hate him. _So I'm back to square one._ He handed the file back to Jeff. "Thanks for letting me look at it."

Ratner shrugged. "I didn't see anything in it when I looked at it that seemed all that damaging. Did you find anything?"

Logan shook his head. "Well thanks for the beer, but I'd better get back to my hotel so I can try to get some sleep before the race tomorrow."

Ratner nodded, "Don't forget the plan is for you to stay in her suite tomorrow night, since there will be lots of people around the hotel after the race."

"At least there's a couch to sleep on," Logan replied with a smirk on his face.

"I bet the redhead didn't make you sleep on the couch," Ratner said in a joking tone.

Logan shook his head and rolled his eyes at him. "Yeah, thanks for putting that picture in my file jackass. You know she didn't even come back to my hotel with me, right?"

"Oh, no I didn't actually know that." He gave him a slightly apologetic look and shrugged. "Sorry."

Logan sighed and shook his head. "It's not like I'm a fucking priest or anything, and there have been more than a few that did come back to my room, but Miss South Carolina wasn't one of them." _There haven't been many since the night Gabriela visited me after my accident actually._

Logan stepped out into the hallway and closed the door. He looked back toward Veronica's room. _Maybe I should go and talk to her about what Marcos said. I wonder if she'd be mad that Ratner let me listen to it. It's not like she hasn't done her fair share of listening to things she wasn't supposed to over the years._ He was still contemplating what to do when her door opened and she came out. She was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt now instead of the dress she had on earlier. She gave him a surprised look when she saw him by Ratner's door. She started walking down the hall towards him.

"What are you still doing here?" She asked when she was close enough.

"Um…" Logan looked down the hall instead of directly in her eyes. "Just talking to Ratner for a while about some logistical stuff."

He momentarily looked her in the eye, and could tell she didn't believe him at all. She looked around the hallway and saw that they were alone and grabbed his hand and dragged him back to her room. She shoved him in, then closed the door and leaned on it.

"My bullshit meter has gotten a little better over the years, and I know you're lying, so just tell me what's going on." She said as she crossed her arms over her chest and gave him a slightly angry glare.

Logan sighed and shook his head. "We were just talking Veronica. It's not that big a deal. Can't two guys just shoot the breeze and enjoy a beer?"

"You're still lying." She seemed to be searching his face trying to figure out what he wasn't telling her.

"Fine," he finally replied. _If I don't tell her Ratner probably will and then I'll look like an even bigger asshole than I probably already do for not just being honest with her. Especially since I'm sure she'll be grilling him in a few minutes if I don't just come clean now._ "Ratner railed on me about my stunt in the elevator and how that wasn't going to help with our cover story and then he let me listen to what Marcos said to you since I could tell something was off when you came back from dancing with him."

She looked genuinely surprised for a moment, and then she looked pissed again. "He shouldn't have done that."

"Look, I'm sorry Marcos said that." Logan said, looking down at the floor instead of directly up at her. "He can be a real jackass sometimes." He looked back up at her again for a moment.

She shrugged and sighed, "I've dealt with lots of jackasses in my life, present company included, so don't worry about it." She bit on her lip and hesitated before she spoke again, "and I suppose I was the blond bitch he was talking about."

Logan sighed as well and gave her a sympathetic look. "Would it make you feel better if I said it was someone else?"

She gave him a little smile, and replied in the soft voice that used to make his stomach flutter. "Yes."

He smiled back and nodded, "Yeah, it was someone else."

"Good," she said softly and then shook her head a little with almost a shy smile on her face. She took a deep breath before she spoke again. "Well, I need to head back to Ratner's room to go over some case stuff with him and you need to get to sleep I thought." Even though she was back to trying to be all serious about the case, he could still see a bit of the shy look on her face. _God she's always been so beautiful when she gets shy and quiet like that. Like when I gave her the key to my suite at the grand._

Logan nodded again, "Yeah, I really do. So you're not going to hold what Marcos said against me?"

She shook her head and opened the door taking a quick look out. "The coast is currently clear, but I'd better walk you to the elevator and say goodbye in case we run into anyone who recognizes you again." He nodded and put his arm around her shoulder as they walked to the elevator. He pressed the button and then smiled as it opened and another driver was inside on his way down. He leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. "See you tomorrow babe," He said with a smile as he stepped backwards into the elevator and gave her a little wave as the door closed. _I am so totally fucked._

When he finally made it back to his room and climbed into bed, all he could think about was the way she looked in that dress tonight, as well as the bra and thong, and the way her lips felt as he'd kissed her goodbye at the elevator. That combined with the shy smile she'd given him right before they left her room to walk to the elevator and he knew he was doomed. _Closure, that's what you're trying to get. There's no way she's actually going to get back together with you and you need to accept that and not fall in love with her again. Don't be an idiot._ His reminder to himself didn't do much good though once he finally fell asleep and his dreams took over.


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N – Apologies again since I used the Portuguese translator for some lines in this one too and no idea if it's right or not! Next chapter will be the party finally! **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along and leave comments.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 13

Logan woke up to a light knocking sound on his hotel room door. He glanced at the clock and saw that it was only 9 am, too early for house keeping. He groaned and pulled a pillow over his head. He didn't need to be to the race track until noon so he wasn't in a big rush to get up. As he laid there he wondered if he had flipped the security latch or not. His question was quickly answered by the sound of the door opening.

He didn't bother to look to see who it was. _If I pretend to be asleep is there a chance she'll just leave. Not likely since she's Veronica Mars. _He decided it was worth a try since he was still pretty tired. He felt the bed next to him shift a bit, but not as much as if she'd sat on it. He finally decided to see what she was doing so he slowly opened one eye and peeked out from under the pillow. She was crouched down next to the bed with her arms resting on the mattress staring at him. She smirked at him when she saw he was awake.

"Hey sleepy head," she said in a perky voice. "I thought I'd see if you wanted to have breakfast at the restaurant downstairs before you go to the track."

_Oh good, it's Lindsey not Veronica this morning._ He chuckled to himself how he'd started seeing her like a mental patient with a split personality disorder. He sighed and gave her a confused sleepy look. "There aren't many drivers that actually stay here. You may not have much of an audience."

She shrugged and smiled back. "Well maybe there will be a few. You know other people who stay here right?"

_Why do I get the feeling she's up to something. Oh right because she's Veronica Mars._ "Sure, why not." He lifted his head up more and gave her a suggestive look, "Gonna join me in the shower this time? You never know when we might need to do that for your case and I'm willing to practice so it's not awkward later."

She laughed and shoved him in the shoulder. "You were _always_ awkward naked," she teased as she stood up and walked across the room to a chair. "No amount of practice can fix that."

He chuckled softly and shook his head. He sat up and the sheet slid down around his waist, revealing his naked chest while he rubbed his eyes. "Right, _I _was awkward naked. I think you've confused me with someone else." He raised his eyebrows at her. "I'd recommend you close your eyes if you don't want to see me be _awkward_ then since I'm not wearing anything at the moment."

She gave him a skeptical look and he shrugged.

"Your call sweetheart to find out if I'm bluffing," he warned again.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Logan smiled mischievously and climbed out of bed in his boxers. "No peeking." He teased as he walked in front of her.

She let out a huff, "trust me I don't want to lose my appetite before we go to breakfast."

He let out a fake gasp, "You wound me Mars." He took his time walking around the room gathering his clothes.

"Are you just going to walk around naked all morning or are you actually going to take a shower?" She said, apparently getting tired of sitting there with her eyes closed.

"I thought I'd just keep walking around naked to prove how not awkward I am about it." He said in a teasing tone.

He saw her make an annoyed face. "I bet your not even actually naked are you?"

He laughed at her before he answered. "Would I lie to you?" he asked in a completely mocking tone.

"You're a jackass," she replied as she laughed and shook her head. He laughed as he saw her barely open one eye to check.

"Couldn't resist peeking could you," he teased as he walked into the bathroom. "Want me to leave the door unlocked so you can join me?" He gave her a little smirk while she shook her head and he closed the door. _Maybe today won't go as badly as I thought._

About 30 minutes later they were being seated at the restaurant downstairs. He saw another driver on his way to their table and nodded at him.

"See," Veronica said gesturing back at the other driver as they sat down.

"It's going to take awhile if we have to do this one driver at a time," Logan joked back at her.

She shrugged and didn't seem to care at all. She seemed to be looking around the restaurant though scoping out all the other customers. "So do you eat here often?" She asked as she finally started to look over her menu.

Logan shrugged, "A few times I guess." He picked up his menu and started looking at it as well.

"Is this where you ate last night?" She asked looking up from her menu at him.

_So that's what this is really about. I wonder who she thinks she's looking for._ "Nope," he said being sure to really pop the p for effect. He went back to looking over his menu not elaborating on it at all. _Is that why she showed up for a wake up call to see if I had some woman in my room? Knowing her that's probably what she was doing. But is she doing it because she's actually jealous, or because she's just trying to make sure I'm not going to mess up our cover. With the way she's been acting since she arrived, probably the latter._

After the waitress took their order a woman that Logan had noticed was watching them from behind Veronica came over to their table. "You're Billy Deimos, no?" She asked with a friendly smile, her Brazilian accent very evident in her tone. Logan smiled and nodded politely. He really did try to not be a jerk if people recognized him. Her smile grew larger, "Can I take picture?" She asked holding up her phone.

"Sure," he replied. He saw an annoyed look starting to form on Veronica's face. _I wonder if that's Lindsey or Veronica being annoyed now?_ "Hey sweetheart, can you take the picture for her?" he asked with a sweet smile on his face.

Veronica smiled and nodded and reached out for the woman's phone. Logan stood up and put his arm around her shoulder and smiled for the picture. Veronica took a picture and handed the phone back to the smiling and grateful woman. As Logan sat back down after the woman left Veronica gave him a curious look. "Does that happen a lot?"

Logan shrugged and didn't say anything. Veronica's expression became slightly annoyed until the waitress returned with their food. _Hm… jealous or annoyed that I wouldn't actually answer her question?_ Logan noticed while they were eating she kept looking around. He wondered if it was for her case or because of him. There were quite a few people coming and going and he thought it looked like she seemed to be watching the women more than the men. _She really is trying to see if I did meet some woman for dinner last night and probably figures she's staying here too._

Logan decided to mess with her and started watching a table behind her a bit more intently than he had before. There were two elderly women sitting there, but neither was looking at him and she couldn't see them because they were directly behind her. He waited until she'd looked down to take a bite and did a little wink as she was looking back up then quickly looked down at his plate. She asked in a slightly curt voice if he just winked at someone and he innocently shook his head. Less than two minutes later she said she needed to use the restroom and stood up turning around before she left. He held in his laugh until she was gone.

Logan was still chuckling slightly to himself when he saw a woman he did know walk into the restaurant. Mariana worked for one of the companies that sponsored a few of the drivers. She was around the track quite a bit, and almost as friendly with the drivers as Cecilia. And like Cecilia, Logan knew better than to ever get involved with her. For one thing she was always around, and he didn't want that complication, and in addition to that, she reminded him way too much of Gabriela. Of course Mariana saw him sitting there alone and took the opportunity to stop and talk to him.

"Well this is a surprise, I thought you normally just ordered room service," Mariana said as she sat down in Veronica's empty chair and gave him a little wink and looked down at the second meal.

Logan shrugged, "I was trying to make a good impression."

"I doubt you need to buy a woman breakfast to impress her," Mariana replied with a sly grin.

Logan hadn't heard Veronica walk up behind him. "Who's your friend, baby?" Veronica asked as she stood next to Logan's chair and wrapped her arm possessively around his shoulder.

Mariana looked Veronica up and down, "Ela é um pouco curto não é ela?" _(She's a little short isn't she?) _she asked Logan.

"Ela, na verdade, um incrível e bela mulher." _(She's actually an amazing and beautiful woman.)_ Logan replied back. He didn't know a lot of Portuguese, but he did learn the proper way to compliment a woman thanks to Marcos.

Mariana scoffed, and rolled her eyes at Logan. "Good luck at the race today. And let me know if you ever decide to take me up on my offer." She stood up and gave him a little wink and went to find an empty table.

Veronica sat down with an angry expression on her face. "Did she call me short?"

Logan gave her a curious look. "I didn't know you spoke Portuguese."

Veronica shook her head. "I don't, but short in Spanish is corto, so I figured it was similar." She looked intently at him, "What did you say to her though? The only words I could figure out were she and woman.'

Logan shrugged, "I don't know. My Portuguese isn't that great."

She looked at him skeptically, "But you're the one who said it."

He smiled at her, "For all I know I said you were looking for the bathroom."

She shook her head and smiled. "Why won't you tell me what you said? And what offer was she talking about?"

"She works for one of the sponsor companies and has tried to get me to race for them instead of who I race for currently."

Veronica smiled slyly and raised her eyebrows at him, "And who do you race for currently?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Like you don't know. I'm sure you figured that out easily if you ever even questioned it." Logan replied and shook his head slightly.

"You did a pretty good job of setting it all up though, you must have had someone who knew what they were doing help you." Veronica replied, "It took me a little while to figure out they weren't real."

_Yeah, I don't think I want to rat out who helped me, at least not to her._ "So are you coming to watch the race today?" Logan asked, trying to change the topic.

Veronica gave him a knowing look, but answered the question anyway. "Actually I was wondering if I can come down to the track area with your crew. You know… be the supportive girlfriend and cheer you on from the pit."

Logan hesitated before answering her._ Gabriela sometimes comes down to the pits, but Marcos is at the opposite end, so there's only a slim chance she'd see Veronica there. I'd still rather not have to deal with it if I can help it though. The party will be tough enough to try to avoid her. _ "Yeah, I guess. But you can see the race better up in the stands. I can get you and Ratner tickets to a private box and then come see you after the race."

Veronica looked suspiciously at him. "Is there a specific reason you don't want me down where your crew will be?"

Logan shook his head and took a drink of his coffee.

"You know I'm not really there to watch the race, it's more about my cover and being up somewhere in a box doesn't really help my case at all" Veronica responded a bit tersely.

"Fine. If that's what you want to do, I'll be sure you're name is on the list for security to let you down by the pits then."_ There's no way I want to start a fight with her about this now. I know how headstrong she is and if that's what she wants, then there's no point trying to convince her otherwise. _"Actually, did you want to ride with me to the track then since you're here now or meet there later?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, let's go together. That would probably be even better."

They headed back up to his room after they finished eating and then left for the track a little earlier than he had planned so he could get her through security without any problems. She put on a good show as they made their way to his trailer again. Weevil must have been a little surprised to see him there so early, and came over to the trailer to check on them.

"No funny business today right?" he asked Logan as the door to the trailer closed.

"Come on, you know me man. Would I _ever_ try anything funny?" Logan said with a smirk. "Not one funny bone in this body."

"Yeah, well don't forget you'll need to make a couple pit stops, so don't even think about it." Weevil replied with a warning glare.

Logan shrugged and shook his head. Veronica gave him a suspicious look. "What," he protested back. "I won't do anything stupid, okay?"

"So did you two have fun on your _date_ last night?" Weevil asked looking back and forth between the two of them with a smirk on his face.

Veronica gave him a curious look, then back at Logan. _What was that look about?_

"Sure, I guess." She replied. "I talked with several other drivers at the club, so it was good for our cover story."

"So I hear we're all shacking up together at your place in LA?" Weevil asked next, which drew a surprised expression from Veronica's face.

"Wait, what?" She asked looking a bit confused, glancing back in forth between the two men.

"I was just messing with you V," Weevil said as he laughed at her reaction. "I've already made plans to stay with a cousin of mine who lives there, initially at least. I'd hate to intrude into your little love nest and be a third wheel."

Veronica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "It's just for the case Weevil. There's nothing really going on between us." _Yes, _t_hanks for the reminder._

"Well I'd better get back out there and make sure the rest of the crew is getting everything ready for the race in a little while. I just wanted to pop in and see how you were doing and say hi. Are you heading up to one of the boxes to watch the race?"

Veronica shook her head, "No, I wanted to stay down around the racers and the crew since this will be the last time I'll be able to do that here before we head back to LA. Logan…" she sighed and shook her head. "Billy said you're flying up with the car separately in a couple days?"

Weevil laughed at her before he replied, "I can't bring my self to call him Billy either, which is why I usually just call him Speed Racer, or some other annoying nickname that pops in my head. Dumb-Ass is generally my go-to one."

Logan shook his head and glared at Weevil. "Thanks man. What would I do without friends like you?"

"And yeah, I'll get the car taken are of and brought up in a plane that he chartered." Weevil continued, without really acknowledging Logan's annoyance. "I guess I'll see you in a little while then V." He gave Veronica a little wink, and then headed out the door.

"Well I guess I'll go and get changed and then we can head out to the pit to get ready for the race. You can get some more pictures of my fabulous self," he added with a wink.

A few minutes later they headed out toward the pit area. Logan was relieved that he hadn't spotted Gabriela at all before the race started. Veronica hung around chatting with various people near his car, playing the excited girlfriend role perfectly, and gave him a big kiss before he climbed in his car for the race to begin. She was also taking quite a few pictures and he noticed she wasn't just focusing on him and the car, but seeming to snap ones of people by other cars down in the pit too. He still wished he knew more about what her case was about.

Once the race started, he was still so tempted to beat Demétrio, but he remembered what he promised Weevil and he didn't want to mess up anything for Veronica either. He did pass him and took the lead for a few laps, but took some extra time on a pit stop so that he'd fall back into second place. Weevil scowled at him when he came in for the stop, and Logan just winked at him. Weevil's scowl faded a bit as he shook his head and finished what needed to be done to get the car back on the track.

As expected he came in second. For some reason it didn't sting quite as bad this week as it had the prior times since he knew he consciously made a choice this time to do it for someone other than himself. Veronica was waiting in the pit as he drove back in and gave him another kiss after he climbed out of the car and took off his helmet. Logan had already let the regular crew know that he was going to be gone for a while so took some time to say a few goodbyes and thank them for working with him. There were a few guys that had volunteered to come up to work with him there, and they'd be flying up later with Weevil and the car. They'd still have to hire some extra guys once they got there, but at least they'd have a skeleton crew to work with when they arrived. After Logan was done saying his goodbyes, they left together and he dropped her off at her hotel and said he'd be back a bit later after he was all changed for the party.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N – I'm posting this a little bit earlier than I originally planned, because I'm going to be gone for the next two nights and not sure I'll get a chance to post much while I'm away. I'm sure no one will complain about it being earlier than planned though. We are finally to the night of the big party! I'm anticipating comments about it, and anxiously waiting to hear what everyone thinks when they finish it, so be sure to let me know!**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 14

Logan took a long shower once he arrived back at his hotel to try to relax before he had to head back over to get Veronica. He poured himself one glass of scotch as well to help calm his nerves down. He was really dreading how the night was going to go. _How am I going to be able to just play the doting boyfriend role if we run into Gabriela there? I know it's going to hurt her, which I would give anything to avoid. Even though we've had our issues and she's happily married now, a part of me still really cares about her._ He reluctantly put some clothes and toiletries into a duffel bag since he'd be staying the night at the other hotel. He still wasn't really convinced that was necessary but had decided not to argue about it either. _At least Alex and Gabriela never stay at that hotel, so there's no chance we'd run into them there other than at the party._ He finally dressed in an expensive pair of dress slacks, which he paired with a white dress shirt and a nice suit jacket as well. He took a long look at himself in the mirror, willing himself to believe that the night would go fine and he could make it through without any problems.

He checked his car in at the valet and headed up to Veronica's room. He was relieved he didn't run into Gabriela, Alex or Marcos on his way up at least. There were already a lot of people arriving at the hotel to enter the conference area that the party was held in. He nervously looked around the lobby as he waited for the elevator to return. There were definitely more photographers there than the night before, but they were mostly focusing on the area around the conference center entrance and not the elevators.

Once he made it up to her room, he knocked on the door and waited for her to answer it. He still had the key card, but decided he'd be polite tonight instead. She didn't come answer it right away, so he knocked again. He started getting impatient so sighed and used the key to go in. Right when he slid it in and pushed the door open, she was also opening it at the same time and gave him a slightly surprised look as the door swung open at her.

"Sorry," he said quickly. "I wasn't sure if you were able to hear me or not."

She shrugged. "No problem, I was just finishing up in the bathroom and wasn't able to get out here quick enough. Come on in, I'm almost ready to go down."

He nodded and walked past her into the room. She was wearing a stunning form-fitting red dress. Her hair was up in a fancy up-do again and she looked absolutely gorgeous._ I swear she's trying to make this even more difficult on me than necessary. Hopefully the events back in LA will be less formal and she'll stop wearing dresses that make it hard for me to focus on anything but her body._

"You look very nice tonight," she commented as she went back into the bathroom again.

"Well at least one of us does," he said with a smirk on his face. She spun around and gave him a surprised look and then saw the smirk and narrowed her eyes at him. He gave her a little wink and she shook her head and continued back into the bathroom.

She came out about 5 minutes later and went to grab her heels from the closet. "Ready to rock and roll?" She said in a playful voice as she sat down next to him on the couch and started to put her shoes on.

_Not really, but I don't think that's going to matter._ "Sure," he said in as upbeat a tone as he could manage._ Maybe I did inherit some of my parents' acting genes if she actually bought that._

They headed downstairs to the conference center and quickly made it through the barrage of photographers and into the party. At least the hotel security kept most of the photographers out of the actual party, with only a couple well connected ones that were allowed inside as guests of some of the drivers. Inside the conference room, there were bars set up in different parts of the room, and a dance floor for people to use with a DJ playing music. There were some areas with tables, but most people were walking around talking and mingling. There were also tables with hors d'oeuvres and some wait staff carrying around trays with food as well.

Logan and Veronica wandered around talking with various people that he would introduce her to and eating some of the food. They spotted Luis and Juliana and headed over to talk with them for a little while. Luis had come in fourth place and they talked a bit about how the race went. Luis was complaining about one of his pit crew messing up something that probably cost him the third place spot._ At least he isn't arrogant enough to say he should have beaten me._

Weevil stopped by and talked with them for a little while before an attractive woman came up and asked him to dance with her. Veronica gave Weevil a teasing little glance as the woman wrapped her arm around his waist and dragged him away from them.

Logan was trying not to act uncomfortable, but wasn't sure he was doing a very good job. He was trying to stay relaxed and just enjoy himself, but he was constantly on edge just waiting for Gabriela to run into them. He noticed Veronica giving him a suspicious look a couple of times, and he'd quickly smile and give her a kiss on the temple or hug her a little tighter so she wouldn't get too upset with him for coming across as a bit distant.

There was an outdoor patio area that people could use as well and they were near the doors still chatting with Luis and Juliana when Marcos walked over. Logan had his hand on Veronica's lower back and gave Marcos a slightly annoyed look since he was still mad about what he'd said to her the night before. His annoyance though was quickly replaced by panic, knowing that if Marcos had found them, Alex and Gabriela may not be far behind.

"Nice to see you again Miss Evans," Marcos said to Veronica with a charming smile. "I thought I'd see if you've grown tired of Billy yet and wanted to give me a try?" He gave her a little wink, but Logan wasn't amused. He was starting to hope that maybe for some reason Alex and Gabriela weren't at the party since they normally stayed pretty close to Marcos and hadn't walked up with him. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case and a few moments later they did walk over and join them. Gabriela was in a beautiful form fitting gold gown with her long dark curls pulled up in a loose up-do. Logan found himself avoiding looking Gabriela in the eyes and dropped his hand from Veronica's back.

"Congratulations on a great race today," Alex said and held out his hand to shake Logan's. Logan hoped the hand shake might provide an excuse for why he removed his hand and not cause Veronica to be suspicious.

"Thanks, Alex," he replied as he shook his hand. He put his hands nervously into his pockets after they were done shaking.

"This is Lindsey Evans," Marcos said introducing Veronica to them, "This is my beautiful sister Gabriela and her husband Alex Vargas."

Veronica gave them a polite smile and said hello to both of them.

"I still can't believe you had a baby just a few months ago," Marcos said as he turned to look at Gabriela again, "You look just as gorgeous as ever." He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek.

"You still haven't been over to seen the baby," Alex said directing his comment to Logan. "You really should come over soon. Maybe we can have dinner sometime next week with you and Marcos, and you could bring Lindsey along too if you'd like."

"I can't believe you still haven't been by to see her yet, Billy. She's just as beautiful as her mother. We really should try to get together this week." Marcos quickly replied then he hesitated a moment. "Unless of course Miss Evans here has really convinced you to go back to LA with her," Marcos continued in an almost teasing tone.

Logan quickly glanced at Gabriela and saw her jaw tighten and a quick flash of anger cross across her face. Veronica wrapped her arm around Logan's waist and nodded at Marcos, "Actually he is, and we're flying back tomorrow night."

Marcos gave them both a very surprised look, as did Alex. Gabriela just looked angry. Logan had seen that expression on her face one too many times to not know that she was furious.

"It was nice to meet you," Gabriela said quickly in anything but a friendly tone. "I need to go out and check in with the sitter, I'll be right back," she said to Alex and quickly turned and headed out towards the patio.

Juliana and Luis hadn't heard their plans to go to LA yet, but of course overheard what Veronica said to Marcos. Juliana jumped into the conversation and asked Veronica when they had decided they were doing that. Veronica was starting to respond to Juliana when Logan quickly cut in. "I'm going to go get a drink, I'll be right back," Logan said and gave Veronica a quick smile then walked off. He headed toward the bar that was near the patio doors, and then stepped outside to find Gabriela.

He'd been avoiding Alex lately because he didn't want to talk about the baby. He painfully recalled when he'd gone to see Gabriela when he found out she was pregnant. It was two months after she'd married Alex, four months after she'd come to see him when he'd been released from the hospital. He'd originally been surprised how quickly they had gotten married once she accepted his proposal until that day when he heard about the baby. When he arrived at her house he was thankful that Alex was gone. She had reluctantly opened the door and let him in. Once he was inside he'd told her that Marcos had told him the news about the pregnancy.

"_I can do the math Gabriela. Marcos told me when you're due. I know the baby could be mine." He said in a concerned gentle tone. _

"_It's not yours. It's Alex's baby." She adamantly claimed. _

"_There's no way you can know that for sure though," he replied stubbornly, not willing to let her just blow him off. "I know when we slept together and that we didn't get around to using any protection because we were both so caught up in the moment. I have a right to know if it's my baby."_

"_No, no you don't." She replied coldly. "That night was a mistake. I love Alex and it's his baby."_

"_Gabriela, please." Logan pleaded with her. "I know there's a chance it's mine and I'd like to know if it is."_

_She finally sighed and looked at him with so much sadness in her eyes, and then shook her head. "Please, if you ever loved me, please just let this go. I do love Alex and he loves me so very much. There's no reason for us to do this to him. I had a momentary lack of judgment that night because I was so relieved that you didn't die. Can't you please just let this go? There's only a very slim chance that it could be yours and I don't want to hurt him unnecessarily. I've never really asked you for anything, so please do this for me. Please?"_

He'd reluctantly agreed, but a part of him ached to know if she was his, especially after he heard the news that the baby had arrived and that it was a little girl. But he figured after all the hurt he'd caused Gabriela that if that was his way to make up for some of it, he'd do what she had asked him to do.

He was searching through the crowd of people on the patio when he finally spotted her standing off to one side and quickly walked over to her.

"Gabriela," he said with an apologetic tone.

"Don't start, Billy," She replied angrily. "Just go back inside."

He thought it looked like she may have been crying a little when he looked closely at her face. "I'm so sorry…." he started to apologize when she cut him off.

"You're sorry?" She said bitterly. "Why should _you_ be sorry?" Her voice had taken on an angry sarcastic tone. "I see you finally found someone who fits your perfect _Veronica_ image. Good luck not saying the wrong name when you're fucking her." She turned and pushed past him, heading back into the crowded room inside.

_Fuck._ Logan shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh. He headed back to the bar and ordered two scotches. He quickly downed the first one, and then headed back to find Veronica working on the second one. _Great, things seem to have gone from bad to worse for me, didn't they? Of course Veronica would be talking to Demétrio._ Juliana and Luis were still with her, but Marcos and Alex had moved on at least. Veronica was smiling sweetly at Demétrio which made Logan even angrier than he already was about hurting Gabriela. He walked over and wrapped his arm possessively around her waist and gave Demétrio a cold look.

"There you are baby," he said to Veronica as she turned to look at him. "Do you want to go dance?"

She shook her head and smiled at him. "Maybe later. I was talking with Demétrio. He was telling me all about racing in Daytona Beach."

"Actually, I was wondering if you'd be willing to grant me the pleasure of a dance," Demétrio asked her with a charming smile.

"Of course," Veronica replied with an inviting smile. "I'll be back in a little bit," she said to Logan as she turned to walk toward the dance floor with Demétrio.

"I'm going to get another scotch," Logan grumbled to Luis and Juliana who were heading to the dance floor themselves.

Logan ordered another scotch and stood at the bar quickly drinking it down._ I knew this night was going to be a fucking disaster._ He ordered another one and then caught sight of Gabriela heading out to the patio alone again. He told the bartender he'd be right back for his drink, and quickly headed after her.

He grabbed her elbow, causing her to stop and turn toward him. He quickly blurted out what he wanted to say before she stopped him or stormed off again. "I really am sorry Gabriela, and I just wanted you to know if you ever need anything, anything at all, please call me. I don't know when I'm coming back to Brazil, but I'd do anything for you, you know that right? I did what you asked about the baby, but please, if there's anything you or she ever needs, please let me know."

She shook her head angrily at him. "She's not yours." She paused for a moment before continuing in a very malicious tone. "Actually there is something you could do for me. Why don't you just stay in LA and never come back. Live happily ever after with your little blond replica of the woman who you've never stopped pining over."

"Gabriela," he pleaded, "please, I really didn't want to hurt you more than I already have. I really am sorry."

She jerked her arm out of his grasp and gave him a furious look and walked off again. Logan headed back to the bar and took the scotch back that he'd left with the bartender.

He was about to take a drink when Veronica walked up to him.

"Are you okay?" she asked with a suspicious look on her face.

"I'm fucking fabulous _Lindsey_," he replied a bit more tersely than he'd meant to. Her eyes got very large and she cocked her head to the side. "Did you have fun dancing with Demétrio? Maybe he'd like to go back to LA with you instead." Logan continued, still not able to get a handle on his anger yet. The three glasses of scotch he'd just downed weren't helping matters any either.

She grabbed his hand and pulled him out to the patio, marching him to an area without any other people. "What the hell is wrong with you?" She asked in a low voice as she gave him an angry look.

He let out a frustrated breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Nothing." He shook his head. "I just really don't like Demétrio." _And I hate myself for hurting Gabriela again._

She looked at him suspiciously. "I don't think that's all that's going on."

"Lindsey!" Juliana called out, "There you are. You two need to come and dance with us." She said closing the distance between them pulling Luis behind her.

"Come on _sweetheart_. You did say you'd dance with me later, before you went off with Demétrio. I'd be heart broken if you danced with him and not me." Logan said in an especially saccharine tone.

Veronica couldn't do anything but smile and go along with him at that point. Logan took advantage of the safety of having the others around, and made sure that he didn't end up alone with Veronica for the rest of the night. Besides Juliana and Luis, a few of the other drivers that they'd met during the week were around too and Logan took advantage of that so if Veronica had noticed anything going on with him and Gabriela, he didn't give her a chance to ask him about it. He also decided to stop drinking for the rest of the night so he wouldn't accidentally blurt something out at her again.

He was relieved that as long as the others were around, _Lindsey_ was the one he was with and she remained sweet and flirty. He wasn't sure if Gabriela and Alex had left, or if she was just avoiding him, but either way he didn't see her again the rest of the night. They talked more with the others they were with about him leaving to go to LA and racing at Fontana for a while. A few of the other drivers knew some racers there and said they would put in a good word for him so he could have some contacts when he arrived. Luis actually had a cousin that raced there, and Juliana thought it would be fun for them to come up and visit when Luis had a long enough break in his racing schedule. Veronica seemed thrilled with the information that they were getting out of everyone, getting some contact information added to her phone, so he was hoping there wouldn't be much fallout from his earlier behavior when they finally did make it back up to her room.

They stayed quite a while at the party and finally as things were winding down made their way back to her room. There were quite a few other people also going back to their rooms, so the elevator was full on the way up and a few other people got off on the same floor. Logan made sure to continue their charade all the way back to her room.

As soon as the door closed, Veronica spun around with an angry look on her face. "You lied to me about _Gabriela_. There's no fucking way you two are just _acquaintances_. Whatever you have going on with her had better not mess up my case and you'd better not lie to me anymore."

Logan wasn't terribly surprised by her reaction given how he acted when they ran into Gabriela at the party. _Apparently trying to avoid that the rest of the night didn't really work._ "Calm down Veronica, there's nothing going on between me and Gabriela." He said to her as he took his jacket off and tossed it on a chair.

"You're such a liar! I saw how both of you reacted down there when I mentioned that you were going to LA with me and I saw you out on the patio with her after I was done dancing with Demétrio." She snapped back with a glare. "Was that who your '_dinner_' was with last night?"

Logan let out a frustrated breath, his voice rising as he spoke. His frustration with himself for how things went tonight just adding to the anger he was starting to feel "No that's not who I had dinner with last night, not that it's actually any of your fucking business. I already told you, there's nothing going on between me and Gabriela. In case you weren't actually listening and missed it, _Agent Mars_, she's married."

"Like that ever stopped you before," she blurted out maliciously.

_Of course I'm still that fucked up 17 year old who screwed Kendall Casablancas in her eyes. Even after all the time we were together after that, she still has the nerve to throw that back at me?_ Logan glared back at her and shook his head. He grabbed the empty ice bucket near the door and stormed out of the room.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N – I think I've gone back over this chapter at least a half dozen times. For some reason, I'm really worried about how this one is going to be received. For those of you that aren't very happy with it, like I said before, they'll discuss things a lot more in Chapter 20. My current versions of them are still fairly flawed and not all grown up and mature about everything in their lives. From what we've seen, Veronica has pretty much buried herself in her work (her comment there is no real Veronica anymore) and Logan has avoided actual relationships since he failed with Gabriela, so that's not leading to either of them being very good at working through things yet. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 15

Logan stormed down the hall toward the ice machine, which was also the way to Ratner's room. No one was in the hall, so he pounded on Ratner's door. It took him a minute to answer, and once he saw the angry look on Logan's face he stood aside and let him in.

"Trouble in paradise?" Ratner asked with a smirk.

"She's so fucking far from paradise..." Logan grumbled as he headed toward the couch, slamming the ice bucket down on the coffee table.

Ratner leaned against the wall after he closed the door and studied him for a moment. "So what did she do now?"

Logan let out a frustrated breath and leaned back on the couch looking up at the ceiling. "She accused me of sleeping with a married woman."

"Did you?" Ratner asked curiously, the smirk still evident in his tone.

Logan let out a long sigh. "Well not this time," Logan shook his head before he continued, "but that's not really the point. She doesn't trust me and keeps holding all the times I fucked up back when we were younger against me."

Ratner moved over and sat in a chair by the couch. "And you get pissed off and storm out on her or snap back. That doesn't really help either you know?"

Logan gave him an annoyed glare. "Thanks for the advice Agent Bell-boy."

Ratner chuckled and shook his head. He studied him a bit more, narrowing his eyes slightly as he looked at him. "You're still in love with her aren't you?"

Logan let out a sigh, "How on earth could I be in love with someone who treats me like she has this week. Hell, the way she always treated me. She never really trusted me even all those years ago. She never even tried to contact me after I left Neptune. Not even when I almost died in that accident last year."

Ratner narrowed his eyes even more at Logan. "And did you contact her when she was shot 2 years ago in LA?"

Logan took a deep breath, but didn't answer.

"So you did know she was shot?" Ratner asked with a curious look on his face.

"I don't want to talk about it. Just let me cool off here for a while and I'll go back." Logan replied with a sigh.

"Fine. I think I'll run down and get us some beer since I'm out and I know I could use one. I was '_working_' when I was down at the party, so I didn't get to have anything to drink." Ratner explained with a little smile, then turned and headed out the door.

Logan closed his eyes and thought back to that horrible day almost two years ago. Shortly after he'd left Neptune he'd gotten a call from Mac. She'd called to find out where he was because she had still been working on their website and wanted to talk to him about it. He told her she could do whatever she wanted with it and that he didn't know when or if he was coming back. She at least seemed a bit concerned about him and told him to call her if he needed anything. He'd asked her for two favors that day. One was to let him know if she heard that Dick was beginning to spiral out of control and the other was to let him know if Veronica ever got into anything really dangerous or got hurt. As soon as he heard the panic in Mac's voice as she said his name that day two years ago, he knew something had happened to Veronica.

When Mac told him Veronica had been shot, he couldn't breathe. He immediately chartered a flight to LA and worried the entire 12 hours there about whether she was going to be okay. Mac didn't have many details when she'd called and then he couldn't reach her while he was in the air. All she could tell him was that Veronica was on her way to the hospital and would immediately be going in for surgery. He took a car directly from the airport to the hospital that Mac said she'd be at, praying she would be okay.

When he finally reached the hospital and went into the reception area to find out where Veronica was and how she was doing, he had the unfortunate luck to run into Wallace.

_"No, no, no! What the hell are you doing here?" Wallace asked furiously when he saw Logan._

_"I came to see Veronica" Logan answered a bit uncertainly as he'd been thrown by the anger in Wallace's tone._

_"No, absolutely not, she doesn't need nor want you back in her life. Her life finally got back on track and she was happy when you were out of it. So why don't you just go and crawl back under whatever rock you've been hiding under and stay there." Logan was shocked by the amount of contempt in Wallace's tone._

_Logan had tried to remain calm because he knew Wallace was just as upset as he was about Veronica being shot, and maybe he still held a grudge against him for beating up Piz before he left. But with how angry he was, he couldn't help but wonder what else Wallace thought had happened before he left. He'd been gone almost four years and he really didn't think Wallace would still be upset about the whole Piz mistake for that long._

_"I think it's up to Veronica to decide that." Logan countered back, raising his voice slightly as he was starting to lose his temper too._

_"Well she won't have to make that decision because I'm making it for her." Wallace replied back angrily at him. Logan shook his head and gave him a confused look. "I'm listed as one of her emergency contacts and so I get to say who can and can't visit her and I'm not going to let you in. So just turn yourself around and go back to wherever you came from. We'll all be better off with you gone." Wallace stood there glaring at him with his arms crossed defiantly across his chest. "And if you don't, I'll ask security to have you thrown out of the building."_

_Logan stared back, still not quite believing what was happening. He finally lowered his voice and asked about her. "Is she going to be okay?" _

_"I really don't know why the hell you care, but yes, her doctor said she's going to be fine." Wallace replied, still not budging from his spot._

_Logan turned to leave and saw Mac standing there with wide eyes looking back and forth between the two of them. He gave her a small nod and then walked by her out the door. He heard her footsteps come running after him and then felt her hand grab his elbow._

_"Don't listen to him Logan. He's just worried about her. Come back tomorrow and I'll talk to them and you can see her then." Mac pleaded with him when he stopped._

_Logan looked sadly at her and shook his head. "I'm sure he's right and her life is better without me in it. She certainly hasn't tried to find me in all these years. If she'd cared or missed me, she could have."_

_Mac looked sadly at him and shook her head. "You don't have to go. You could stay."_

_"There's nothing here for me any more." He started to go then stopped again. "Please don't tell her I was here, okay? I don't want to risk her being mad at Wallace for interfering. He's just doing what he thinks is best for her. If he decides to tell her, then he can deal with that, but I don't want you to say anything, okay?" _

_Mac shook her head, her eyes were starting to get teary. _

_"Please promise me Mac? It really is better this way." Logan had said trying to sound convincing._

_She stood there just staring at him with a disbelieving look for a few moments. "Fine, but I think you're making a mistake," she finally replied._

"_Take care Mac." Logan said softly, and then flagged down a taxi and left._

He heard the door open and Ratner came back in, handing him a beer. Logan thanked him and opened it and took a long drink. Ratner was right, even though he'd gone to see her when she was shot, she probably never knew that. So did he have any right to be upset that she hadn't come to see him when he was nearly killed? He still didn't really know when she even figured out where he was. It could have been more recently, after the accident anyway.

Logan reached over and flipped on the TV with the remote, clearly not in any hurry to go back to her room. He flipped through some stations and finally settled on some cheesy zombie movie. They sat there in silence drinking their beers and watching the horrible acting and even worse special effects for thirty minutes or so before Ratner finally spoke up during a commercial. "Did you let her know where you are?" He asked with an eyebrow arched as he glanced from the TV over to Logan.

Logan shook his head. "No, and I tossed my jacket off when we got into her room and my phone's in the pocket so she can't call me either. Why did she call you?"

Ratner shook his head, "Not yet. I don't think she'd actually be too excited to tell me you two had a fight since I've been pretty hard on her about not screwing this operation up all week." He sighed for a moment then continued, "She'd probably kill me for mentioning this, but the last operation we were on didn't work out well and if she screws this one up, she's probably going to be suspended for a while and maybe not allowed to do field work anymore. To be fair, what happened during the last one wasn't entirely all her fault, but she still ended up taking the brunt of the blame. I wasn't her partner on it though, I was just doing support work for it, so there wasn't anything I could do to help her out there. But I did hope getting her involved in this one might be a way to try to get her a solid win again."

Logan was surprised that Ratner, of all people, would be so willing to help save Veronica's ass given they weren't at all friends when he'd left Neptune. "I'm a little surprised. Why such loyalty to her?" Logan asked curiously.

Ratner laughed, "You of all people should understand that. She's a valuable person to have in your corner. She helped me out of a tough spot, somewhat reluctantly I might add, when we were seniors at Hearst and so I feel like I owe her. We both ended up with internships in Quantico our Junior year and spent some time getting over a bit of our animosity, so when I needed help senior year, I didn't hesitate to ask her. Luckily for me, she agreed to do it."

"So what was this '_tough spot_' that she helped you out of anyway?" Logan asked, his interest piqued.

Ratner shook his head, "Maybe some day I'll share that with you, but not tonight." He gave him a little wink and then gave him a pointed look. "I'd say your level of curiosity though nearly rivals hers. Have you always been like that, or is she just rubbing off on you?"

Logan groaned and shook his head. "Please don't compare me to her. We're nothing alike."

Ratner gave him a smirk and shook his head again, "Yeah, keep telling yourself that Admiral."

Logan gave him an angry scowl. "What, we're not."

"Look, I know _neither_ of you likes to hear advice," Ratner continued not really acknowledging Logan's disagreement, "but I think things will go a lot better back in LA if you two could work through some of your issues, sooner rather than later."

"I don't have any issues. She's the one who has a problem with me." Logan protested.

Ratner rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Yeah, she's the only one," he replied sarcastically then let out a long sigh. "Wasn't it you who was complaining right before I went to get the beer that she never came to find you, even when you _almost died_?"

Logan scowled at him but didn't answer. He set his empty beer bottle back on the coffee table and picked up the empty ice bucket and twirled it in his hand. "Well as fun as this has been, I guess I'll head back to her room. With any luck, she'll be asleep by now."

Ratner gave him a skeptical look and nodded. "Think about what I said. Maybe if you start talking to her instead of just reacting rashly, things will get better."

Logan sighed and gave him a slightly disbelieving look as he stood up to leave. He was relieved there wasn't anyone in the hall when he came out of Ratner's room. He walked back to her room and took a deep breath, then scanned the room card and slowly pushed the door open. He'd been in Ratner's room for at least an hour. The room was dark, though the light in the bathroom was on with the door opened a bit, so there was a little light coming out into the main room. He could tell Veronica was in bed, but it was too dark to see if she was awake or not. He waited a minute for some biting comment or callous remark, but she was completely silent. He grabbed his duffle bag from the chair he'd sat it on when he came in before the party and went into the bathroom to change. He'd actually brought a pair of sleep pants along that he'd bought when they'd told him he'd have to stay the night in her room and slipped them on. He'd noticed a pillow and blanket in the closet when Veronica had opened it to get her shoes earlier, so he retrieved them and quietly moved toward the couch. Of course given he was so tall, the couch wasn't a great option, but he wasn't planning on climbing into bed with her, so did his best to get comfortable. He'd finally found a half way comfortable position, when he heard her sigh.

"You don't have to sleep on the couch. It's a king sized bed Logan, there's plenty of room and I know you're way too tall to be comfortable there." Her tone had an obvious level of annoyance in it.

"I'm fine," he replied and didn't move. _Of course this is damn uncomfortable, but there's no way in hell I'm going to sleep next to her again._

They were silent for about five minutes before she finally spoke again, "Where did you go?"

Logan laughed bitterly, "Don't worry, I didn't go for some booty call if that's what you're thinking."

"Logan, I'm…" she trailed off and didn't say whatever she was about to say. Her tone had a hard edge to it, but it was less angry than earlier before he left.

"What Veronica? Just say it already?" Logan said in an irritated tone, "Obviously whatever we've been doing this week isn't really working, so maybe it's time to try a little more honesty. I don't see how things could get much worse." _Well her getting pissed and shooting me, would be worse, but hopefully things don't actually get that extreme._

"Okay," she finally said after a few more minutes of silence. "I don't know what's going on with you and Gabriela and whatever it is, it's none of my business. Obviously you've agreed to come to LA, so even if the two of you have something going on, she's here and you'll be there, so I guess it doesn't matter and shouldn't impact our case and I don't have any right to be mad about it."

Logan let out a frustrated sigh. "Why can't you ever believe me Veronica? This is just like it was back when we were dating. Even when I told you the truth, I don't think you ever really believed me."

He heard her let out a frustrated scoff, her voice rising slightly again. "You're the one who wants honesty? Can you honestly say that you haven't lied to me at all this week? That you didn't lie to me at your house when I asked about her? That you and Gabriela aren't more than just acquaintances and that she wasn't the reason that you didn't want to go to the party tonight?"

_Fuck, no wonder she never trusts me._ He stared off into the darkness for several minutes debating what to say next. _I'd better be as honest as I can now since I did just tell her to be honest with me, but there are still some things I really don't want to have to discuss with her about my failed relationship with Gabriela._ He finally did speak, but in a quiet tentative voice. "You're right. We were together for almost two years after I met her about six months after I left Neptune. So I did lie about her when you first came to see me. We are more than just acquaintances and she was the reason I didn't want to come to the party. But we haven't been together since she married Alex."

She didn't reply, and he started to wonder if maybe she'd fallen asleep. _Maybe she didn't even hear that._

Apparently she wasn't asleep and after another several minutes of silence, she finally spoke again. "You've been here almost six years Logan, if you've been broken up for three to four years, then why would you being at the party with me matter to her. Why was she so upset when I said you were coming to LA with me? That doesn't make any sense." She was using that tone that he recognized as her investigative mode. "And why…" she trailed off again and didn't finish her next question.

_I don't want to lie to her again, but I also don't want to get into the fact that she's the reason Gabriela was upset. It's not that I was with some other woman, but who the woman I was with looked like and how that reminded her of what happened to tear us apart. _Logan finally let out a deep breath and started to talk again. "Can I just say there's a specific reason why she was upset tonight and not get into it with you? It doesn't have anything to do with the two of us still being involved, because we're not. Can that just be enough to satisfy your undying desire to know the truth about everything? I promise that it doesn't affect your case. I don't want to lie to you Veronica, but it's something I really don't want to talk about either."

He waited for a response, but she didn't say anything at first. _I wish she'd say something. This sucks doing this in the dark, where I can't even see her expression to know what she's thinking or how mad she might be getting._ He started to wonder again if maybe she'd finally fallen asleep. It was quite late now, since they'd stayed at the party until after midnight, and then he'd been in Ratner's room for at least an hour.

"She wasn't who you met for _dinner_ last night, or did you lie about that too?" She finally asked.

Logan let out a soft chuckle. _Why didn't I just tell her the truth about that instead of treating it like it was some game? _"No Veronica. I had dinner with Weevil. We always have dinner on Friday's before the race at the same little pizza joint we found years ago. I'm really sorry I didn't just tell you that instead of being mysterious about it."

He heard her take a deep breath and exhale._ I'm such an ass to have done that to her. Maybe I haven't changed as much as I thought._ He heard the blankets finally moving on the bed. Up until then, even though she was talking to him, she hadn't actually moved on the bed at all. It was much darker in the room now since he'd turned off the light in the bathroom when he was done and there was only a small amount of light making it in through the dark curtains. He could barely make out her form as she climbed out of bed and walked over to the couch.

"Stop being so stubborn," she said as she reached down and grabbed his hand and tugged slightly on it. "I'm tiny remember, and it's a king sized bed, plenty of room for you in it without the risk of accidentally touching me at all."

_If only she knew how badly I actually did want to touch her._ Logan sighed and let her pull him up. She held his hand and led him back to the bed. She dropped his hand, and then crawled in first and scooted to the opposite side from where she'd been laying. He climbed in after her and wrapped his arm around a pillow as he laid down on his stomach. He could smell her perfume on the pillow since she'd been lying there first. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before he reached down and pulled the covers up over himself.

She scooted back toward him. Her face was only a few inches from his and he could feel her breath lightly tickling his face. _I want so badly to just lean closer and kiss her. We didn't actually kiss much tonight down at the party._ "Thank you for telling me who you had dinner with last night, and for admitting you weren't telling the truth about Gabriela," she whispered softly. He knew that tone though. _She's still mad that I wouldn't tell her everything she asked about Gabriela. _He felt the bed shift again as she scooted back to the far side. He buried his face into the pillow again and tried not to think about how horribly the night had gone. It didn't really work though, but eventually he did drift off to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N – Happy Thanksgiving to everyone who celebrates it! I'm glad everyone seemed to really like the last chapter. I really love letting Ratner play the rational voice. I almost feel like I should apologize for this chapter in advance. Just keep in mind, this is LoVe… one step forward and two steps back, but that's why we love them. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 16

Logan woke up to the feeling of someone gently shaking his shoulder. He scowled and rolled away from where he thought the hand was coming from without opening his eyes. He felt the bed shift and then felt her hand on his shoulder again.

"Wake up, I'm hungry." Veronica said as she continued to lightly shake him.

"Order room service," he mumbled into the pillow without opening his eyes.

"Juliana texted and her and Luis want to meet us for breakfast downstairs." She replied "I said I'd text her back as soon as I woke you up so they could go get us a table."

"Can't you just go without me?" Logan asked sleepily, "Couldn't this be one of those non-mandatory times?"

"No. Now wake up and get dressed. Do you want a shower first?"

"Is that a proposition?" he replied, unable to resist, though he was too sleepy to make it sound as inappropriate and teasing as he'd meant to.

Her voice took on an annoyed tone, "Just get up already." _I guess neither of us is in a very playful mood this morning._

"Fine, give me 10 minutes." He said as he climbed out of bed and grabbed his bag again and went into the bathroom.

Fifteen minutes later they were standing in their usual happily-in-love Billy and Lindsey pose waiting for the elevator to open. As the elevator door opened on their floor, Logan felt like his heart stopped and he couldn't breathe. Gabriela was standing directly in front of him staring right at him while Alex was standing next to her holding _their_ daughter.

"Hey good morning," Alex cheerily greeted them as he took a step to the side so Logan and Veronica had room to enter as well. "I'm surprised to see you since you normally don't stay here." He continued on to Logan, giving him his usual friendly smile.

Logan was frozen in place and Veronica had to tug on his arm to get him to walk into the elevator._ You usually don't stay here either, so I guess the feeling is mutual._ He had a hard time swallowing, but tried to smile and nod at least.

"Looks like you finally get to meet my little princess before you leave for LA after all," Alex said as he leaned a bit closer showing off the little baby in his arms. "This is Adelina. Isn't she just as beautiful as her mother?"

Again, all Logan could do was nod. He seemed incapable of forming any actual words at that point. He also couldn't look at Gabriela. He didn't want to look at Veronica either, so just kept staring at the little baby. Maybe his little baby, although he'd likely never know. That thought broke his heart. She really did look exactly like Gabriela. It was hard at this point to see much of Alex or himself in her features. _Probably for the best that she's a spitting image of her mother._

The elevator doors opened again and he felt Veronica tugging on his arm again. "Come on babe, this is our floor."

"Have a nice day you two," Veronica said cheerily over her shoulder as she pulled him out of the elevator and the door closed behind them. She glared at him for a moment, before turning and walking toward the restaurant entrance, no longer holding on to his arm. He stood there for a moment watching her walk away.

He saw her wave into the restaurant, and then turned back at him again. She gave him one of her fake smiles and then put her hands on her hips, obviously waiting for him to catch up to her. He sighed and walked toward her, not quite able to get back into his fake happy character yet. "Suck it up, _Deimos_," she said leaning toward him with an angry tone, though she still had a big fake happy smile plastered on her face.

He gave her a fake smile back as he replied, "Anything for you sweet cheeks," in almost the same tone.

Breakfast was mildly painful at best. Logan didn't really listen to half of what the other three were saying and occasionally he'd hear Veronica say, "Right Billy?" to which he'd smile and nod. She could have asked him if he thought they were about to be invaded by martians with monkey heads, and he wouldn't have known. He was thankful when he finally did catch Juliana say they were going to head back up so they could check out of their room and drive home.

Veronica was uncharacteristically quiet when the other two got off the elevator a few flights below her floor, but after a few moments she finally talked again. "How long have they been married?"

Logan gave her a confused look, "Juliana and Luis aren't married."

Veronica rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No, Gabriela and Alex."

_Of course._ Logan shrugged, "About 10 months I guess."

She narrowed her eyes slightly at his reply. He wasn't sure if she didn't believe him or something else was going through her head. "How old is Adelina?"

"Three months," Logan replied. He looked over at the display with the floor numbers and avoided her gaze. _Fuck, did I just answer that way too quickly to be just a friend of the family or an old ex-boyfriend._

The elevator door opened on her floor and she walked out with him next to her. She'd had her arm linked through his as they'd left the restaurant and gotten on the elevator, and once she saw that there was no one in the hallway, she'd dropped her arm and kept walking to her room. He stayed about a step behind her and then followed her into her room after she unlocked the door. Her demeanor was noticeably colder again. _Why did we have to run into them in the elevator? What the hell were they even doing here? They never stay here._

They were supposed to catch an overnight flight back up to LA later in the day. He still needed to go back to his hotel and get the rest of his luggage and check out over there. "Did you want to wait here or come with me back over to my hotel?" He asked, a bit hesitantly.

"I'll just wait here," she replied a bit curtly. Then she sighed and motioned around the room. "I still need to pack."

"Fine, I'll be back in about an hour," he replied as he grabbed his keys from the top of a dresser and quickly left._ I see the ice queen is back again._ He stood impatiently waiting for the elevator to open again. He'd been thinking about Gabriela and the baby all through breakfast, and now that he was alone again, his thoughts quickly returned there. _Maybe when I return from LA, I can try to talk to her again. Maybe with some time she'll cool off and be willing to at least let me find out if the baby is mine. Even though she doesn't want me involved obviously, I'd still like to know if she's mine in case anything ever happens to Gabriela or Alex. Maybe if she is mine, Gabriela would reconsider letting me be a part of her life._

He took his time packing up the rest of his things at his hotel room. He wasn't in a big rush to get back to Veronica's hotel given the frosty attitude she'd had when he left. _Not that I blame her with how this morning went._ It was going to be a longer than normal flight back to LA if she stayed like that. _Maybe I should see if Ratner could give her another pep talk. That seemed to help before. Of course if she found out I went behind her back and did that, she very well could end up even madder at me than she already is._

He left his car with the Valet and went up to her room. Weevil was supposed to be there later to take them to the airport and then he'd take Logan's car back to his house. He knocked when he arrived at her door and waited for her to answer it. After a few moments of no answer he knocked again. He finally pulled out the room key and let himself in. The bathroom door was open and her bags looked like they were mostly all packed and ready to go, but she wasn't in the room at all. He sent her a text that he was back and sat down on the couch. He finally grabbed the TV remote and started flipping through channels. He checked his phone and since there still wasn't an answer, texted Ratner to see if he knew where she was. He thought maybe she was down at his room talking over case details.

Ratner replied a few moments later that he thought she said she was going for a run. Logan still hated the idea of her going running on her own. At least it was daytime, but there were still some areas not that far from the hotel that weren't known for being particularly safe. _Why can't she just use the damn treadmill in the workout facility like normal people do?_ The longer she was gone the more anxious he became. He finally decided to call her phone instead and heard it ringing in the bathroom. _Damn it, she forgot her fucking phone._ He started pacing once he realized she couldn't even call for help if something happened or if she got lost again. He couldn't believe how helpless he felt at that moment. It was something he hadn't really felt since he found her unconscious in the parking garage at Hearst. Gabriela of course didn't live the kind of life to where he ever had to worry like that about her. He wasn't really sure how long he'd been pacing back and forth when the door finally opened and she walked into the room. He couldn't help himself and grabbed her and hugged her to his chest.

"Whoa there," Veronica said in a confused voice. She lightly pushed him off of her and looked at him with a matching confused expression on her face. "What's gotten into you there buddy?"

Logan shook his head and tried to hide the emotions he'd been feeling. She must have figured it out and gave him a little smile. "Hey, armed FBI agent here." She shook her head a little and gave him a quick pat on the shoulder. "You really don't need to worry about me."

He nodded and tried to be as nonchalant as possible. "Sorry, I forgot." He quickly walked away and sat down on the couch again, staring at the TV instead of her. _Being an armed FBI agent didn't keep you out of the hospital two years ago though either. _

"I'm going to take a shower before Weevil comes to get us." She said walking over to the bed to grab some clothes she had laid out. He nodded to acknowledge what she said, but didn't say anything at all. When the bathroom door finally closed, he let out a deep shaky breath. He closed his eyes and tipped his head back against the couch facing up toward the ceiling and ran his hand anxiously through his hair. He'd been able to regain his composure when she finally came back out, but he still tried to avoid eye contact with her. He could see out of the corner of his eye that she was finishing up her packing and would look in his direction occasionally but didn't say anything either._ I wonder if this is how it will be the entire time in LA. The two of us just ignoring each other in between outings where we have to pretend to be a couple. _

Weevil arrived a short while later to take them to the airport. They hadn't actually said anything to each other since she'd gone in to take a shower. Weevil immediately gave them a strange look once he was in the room and had looked at both of them. "Wow, you two are certainly the poster kids for the perfect happy couple, aren't you? And this…" he gestured between the two of them, "has actually convinced people you're a couple all week?"

Logan scowled at him, while Veronica laughed slightly. "No, we're not like this around other people."

"I'm '_other_' people," Weevil countered back.

Veronica rolled her eyes. "You don't count," she replied.

"Thanks V," he said playfully.

She laughed and shook her head. "You know what I mean."

Weevil gave her a wink and looked between them again. "So are you two love birds ready to hit the road?"

Veronica nodded and Logan stood up and turned the TV off. Weevil gave him a curious look. "Did you find his mute button, V? I don't think I've been around him for this long without some snarky comment coming out of his mouth."

"Funny," Logan finally said with an annoyed look on his face. "I'll get your bags for you my dear." Logan said a bit sarcastically as he reached toward the bags near the bed at the same time that she went to grab the same one, and his hand landed on top of hers. "Sorry," he quickly said removing his hand from hers.

She gave him a curious look and shook her head. "It's fine, and thanks." She grabbed her shoulder bag and brief case and headed toward the door. Weevil grabbed one of the suitcases too, raising his eyebrows at Logan and shaking his head as Veronica was leaving the room with her back towards them.

There were other people in the hall and Veronica waited for them outside the door and wrapped her arm around Logan's waist as they waited for Weevil to come out of the room. Weevil gave them an amused look and led the way to the elevator. They ran into another driver and his girlfriend in the elevator and they chatted a bit on the way down to the lobby. They were also checking out of the hotel, so the elevator was pretty crowded with all the suitcases and bodies. Veronica had to press her back right up against the front of Logan to make room for everything to fit. She must have felt him unconsciously hold his breath and looked up over her shoulder at him, giving him a curious look. She grabbed his hands and wrapped them around her waist, gently rubbing her own fingers on top of his. Even though he didn't know exactly what was going on with them, he did start to relax from feeling her fingers on his. Even if it was just an act, it at least helped his body relax enough to get rid of some of the stress that he was feeling. Between the running into Gabriela and the baby, the reappearance of annoyed Veronica and his worry that something happened to her when she was out running without her phone, his mind was on anxiety overload and just feeling her soothing motions helped him finally start to calm down a bit. _Don't forget this is part of the act and not real._ He exhaled a deep breath and rested his chin on top of her head.

Weevil knew the driver as well and they were talking quite a bit as they rode down to the lobby. The driver was surprised they were heading to LA to race for a while, although he made the comment that he could see how it would get frustrating to get second place all the time. _You have no fucking idea._ He wished Logan good luck as they reached the lobby and headed in separate directions.

"Did you two want to sit in the back while I drive so you can play grab ass in the back seat too?" Weevil teased as they waited for the Valet to return with Logan's car.

Logan scowled at him again, and Veronica shook her head with a mischievous grin. "We'll have plenty of time for that on the flight home," she said jokingly back to Weevil.

"I don't want to hear all about you two joining the Mile High Club when I get back to LA." Weevil said with a laugh in reply.

Veronica gave Logan a frustrated look. "What?" He asked when he saw her looking at him. She shook her head and climbed into the backseat of the car while they went to put the suitcases in the trunk.

It wasn't a very long drive to the airport and Weevil helped them unload the luggage at the curbside check-in then said a quick goodbye before leaving them alone again. Soon they'd checked in and were sitting at the gate waiting for their flight to be boarded. They'd kept up their cover as they'd made their way through the airport, but now that they were at the gate in an isolated corner, Veronica dropped the act for a moment and gave him an annoyed look. It was similar to how she'd looked at him when they were getting in the car.

"What?" he asked again hoping this time she might actually talk to him. She shook her head again and didn't say anything. He leaned in closer to her and put his forehead against hers so if anyone was paying attention to them, they wouldn't look like they were arguing. "Tell me what's going on or I'm not getting on that plane," he said softly to her. She didn't change her expression much, but he heard her let out a frustrated breath of air. He ran his hand up the side of her neck and into her hair. "Look, I'm here. I'm doing what you want, and you still seem like I'm the last person on earth you want to be around. Please just talk to me."

She shook her head again. "I'm not having this discussion with you, certainly not here."

"Fine," He straightened back up and looked out the windows. She sighed and leaned toward him and rested her head against his shoulder. He shook his head and let out a frustrated breath, but moved his arm so it would go around the back of her chair so it would be a more comfortable position for however long they had to sit and wait to board. _I hope she'll finally talk to me when we get to LA or this is going to be an absolutely horrific couple of months._


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N – One more chapter closer to the highly anticipated Chapter 20. Which I'm now worried about how happy people will be with it! I thought this chapter has a few little fun things in it, so I hope you all enjoy it well enough.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 17

The flight back was excruciatingly long of course, but Logan had insisted they sit in first class at least. He'd said he would pay for the seats even if the FBI wouldn't reimburse him because there was no way he was sitting in coach for 12 hours. Veronica hadn't fought him too much on it at least. They'd both fallen asleep a few hours into the flight watching a movie. At one point Logan had woken up to find her head pressed into his chest and his arm wrapped around her. They'd been mostly keeping up their act on the plane, but he didn't remember them sitting quite that closely when he'd fallen asleep. He nuzzled his cheek against the top of her head taking in a deep breath and smelling that unique scent that was only Veronica. He gently stroked his fingers along her arm and reached out with his other hand and placed it on top of her hands that were in her lap. _Why can't we just be close and peaceful all the time? _He was sure that her frosty attitude was caused by his reaction when he ran into Gabriela in the elevator, but he wasn't exactly sure what else to do since he'd already told her the night before that there wasn't anything going on between them. _I wish she'd stop being so closed off and just tell me what she's thinking, but that was never something she was particularly comfortable doing._ He sat there gently rubbing his fingers over her hand until he finally fell back asleep. He didn't wake up again until they were starting to descend and found his fingers intertwined with hers. He had to gently nudge her to wake her up for the landing. She gave him a confused look at first, then smiled softly and sat back up removing her hand from his and started fidgeting with her seat belt instead.

She'd left her car in long-term parking at LAX, so they took a shuttle once they retrieved their bags and made their way to it. He wasn't sure if she was just avoiding conversation or tired from the long flight, but she didn't say a word as she drove them back to her apartment. He decided he'd wait until they were back to her place before he tried to get her to talk about what was going on with her now. The week had been so up and down that just when he thought things were maybe going to be easier, something else would happen and then the uncertainty would come back. He didn't like when she had gone overboard and played him earlier in the week, but it was definitely easier for their cover when they weren't alienating or pissing each other off in private.

When they finally made it to her apartment building, they parked in the underground garage. Since they'd taken an overnight flight, it was now mid-morning on a Monday and there weren't many cars left in the parking area. As they were getting their luggage out of her car, another car pulled in and parked two spaces over from her. A guy around their age climbed out with a messenger bag over his shoulder. He was a few inches shorter than Logan, with light blond hair, and he was wearing a business suit.

"Hey Lindsey," he said with a friendly wave. "I'm glad to see you made it back safely." He walked a bit closer and gave Logan a suspicious look. "Did you bring a friend back with you?"

"Hi Ash," Veronica replied in what Logan thought was a fake nice voice, but he wasn't sure if maybe it was sincere. "Yeah, this is Billy Deimos. He's a race car driver from Sao Paulo who I met on my trip. He's going to be staying with me for a while."

Logan gave her a curious look. _What happened to new boyfriend and what's with the_ '_for a while'?_ _What happened to needing to appear to be a serious couple? Does she like this guy for real? _He plastered on an adoring smile and walked over closer to her and put his hand up by her cheek, "Yeah, once I laid my eyes on this absolutely amazing woman, I knew it was love at first sight and couldn't bear to let her get away." He pulled her in for a deep kiss, which she didn't return with much enthusiasm. He turned back to look at Ash, who seemed to be quite shocked, and maybe a bit disappointed.

"Oh… nice to meet you." He held out his hand for Logan to shake. "Do you need some help getting your luggage over to the elevator?"

"Nope," Logan said at the same time as Veronica said "Sure". She gave him a slightly annoyed look, and handed a bag to Ash's offered hand. They grabbed the rest and all walked toward the elevator together.

"How's your case going?" Veronica asked as they stood and waited for the elevator. "Are you still working on the same one as when I left?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, it goes to trial next week. I think we have a really strong case put together for it, so I'm feeling really good about it."

"That's good," Veronica said with a smile.

Once they were in the elevator, Veronica pushed a button for a floor near the top. She stared ahead at the door waiting for it to open as Logan gave Ash a cold look, causing him to also look at the door and not at Logan. When the elevator stopped at their floor, Veronica and Ash turned to the right, so Logan followed them. Ash set the bag he was carrying down in front of a door and Veronica started digging her keys out.

"Did you need me to carry it in?" Ash asked with a hopeful look on his face.

"I can get it," Logan quickly replied. "But thanks for the help."

"Yeah, thanks for helping Ash." Veronica added. "I'm sure we'll see you around soon."

Ash nodded and headed farther down the hall and disappeared into his own apartment.

Logan raised his eyebrows at her and shook his head.

"What?" she asked when she saw his look.

"I think you're the one who needs to work on selling this cover a bit more now." She angrily shook her head and started pulling her bags into the apartment.

Once he was inside, Logan set his suitcases down near the door and took a quick look around. Her apartment was tastefully decorated, but he didn't notice a lot of personal items. There was a large sectional couch and a cabinet with a television and some other electronic components next to the TV. The main room was an open floor plan, so he could see the kitchen and dining room as well. There were two doors off the main room and both where open. One looked to be a small bathroom and the other was a bedroom.

"Only one bedroom?" He asked as he looked around and didn't see another door.

She squished her nose up a bit and nodded. "Sorry, at least it's a king bed again. Or you're welcome to sleep on the couch." She started pulling her luggage into her bedroom without another word to him.

He went over and looked out the window at the view. It was mostly other large apartment buildings and other sky scrapers, most likely office buildings. _I miss the ocean already._ He walked around and looked at the various photographs that were on the shelves near the TV. There were several of her with her dad, even one with Backup that made him smile. _Who's a man killer?_ There were a couple of her and Wallace too. Those didn't make him smile at all. There was one of Wallace, Mac and her all standing together at their Hearst Graduation. Mac had actually sent him a very similar picture from her phone that day too. He started to notice though that besides the graduation picture, he didn't see any others of Mac. On the rare occasions that he had talked to her, they hadn't gotten into a lot of details on personal things. She'd helped him set up his fake corporations and he'd invested in a couple of projects she was working on. _Why aren't there any other pictures of her? _They were obviously still good friends when she'd been shot, but maybe they just never did things that ended up with a picture to be framed.

Veronica came back out and walked over to him. Logan pointed to the graduation picture because he was curious about the lack of Mac in her photos. "Do you still stay in touch with Mac and Wallace?" He tried to keep the anger out of his voice as he said Wallace, but found it did come out a little strained.

Veronica smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I see Wallace quite a bit when I have breaks from work that I can get back to Neptune and visit him and my dad. Sometimes he'll come up to LA and visit if I'm not traveling for cases too." Her expression became a bit sad before she continued, "I don't see Mac as much anymore. She moved to Seattle about two years ago and doesn't come back other than to visit her family and I always seem to be out of town working when she has." Her expression became more troubled as she went on. "I did see her about six months ago when I was working a case up in Washington."

Logan gave her a concerned look given her expression. "What happened? You look like it didn't go well."

Veronica shrugged. "I felt like she was avoiding me while I was there. And when I suggested Wallace and I could come back and visit her some other time, she got pretty adamant that she didn't think that was a good idea, but wouldn't elaborate on it at all. I don't know what happened between her and Wallace before she moved because he won't tell me either, but I know something did."

_Oh no, this is probably all my fault._ Logan gave her a sympathetic smile back. "I'm sorry Veronica."

She shook her head and her expression became a bit less troubled. "You don't need to apologize. It's not your fault something happened between them." _Actually it probably is._ She turned and started walking towards the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink? I can make us some coffee."

"Sure, coffee would be good." Logan went over and took a seat on the couch. _Just ask her what's really bothering her so you can talk about it_. He only sat for a couple minutes and then felt too anxious, so got up and walked over to the kitchen area. "Can I do anything to help?" He asked as he fidgeted with a set of salt and pepper shakers that were on the counter.

"Nope, just waiting for the machine to make some coffee." She gave him a curious look, "I don't think there's much you can do to speed that up."

"So can we talk now?" Logan finally asked glancing up from the salt and pepper shakers at her.

"We are talking," she said as she got two mugs down out of a cupboard.

Logan sighed and shook his head, "You know what I mean."

"There's nothing to talk about," Veronica replied. "Cream and sugar?"

Logan nodded. "Veronica, don't you think this will work better if we aren't constantly getting angry at each other? And you can't tell me that you weren't mad at me yesterday before we left."

She let out a frustrated sigh and shook her head. "Me?" Her voice was elevated "You're the one who's been unwilling to be honest with me."

"What are you talking about?" Logan said back in disbelief. "I told you about my history with Gabriela the other night."

"But you didn't tell me everything did you?" She snapped back quickly, "You know what, never mind, you were right. It doesn't impact my case, so there's no reason you need to tell me anything. Hopefully you won't be so distraught from having to leave her behind that you start doing stupid things here too." She turned and stormed out of the kitchen and slammed her bedroom door behind her.

_Well that didn't go well at all._ He heard the coffee maker go off and grabbed the two mugs and filled them with coffee adding cream and sugar to both. He went toward her room and knocked on the door. He turned the handle, which was surprisingly unlocked. Veronica was sitting in a chair by a large window in her room looking out across the city with her arms crossed across her chest. Logan walked over and held the cup in front of her. She sighed and reached up and took it and gave him a grim look. There was an ottoman by the chair, and he pulled it over so he could sit on it in front of her.

"Veronica, please tell me why you're so upset about this." He tried to keep his voice as calm and soothing as he could. "I didn't lie, I just don't want to get into all the details of what happened between the two of us. It's not like I've asked you to go into detail about all the relationships you've had since I left. Don't you think you're being a little hypocritical here?"

"I'm upset because you care so much about hurting someone who you claimed you haven't been involved with for over three years, yet you just…" She shook her head and wouldn't continue looking away from him out the window again.

"Just what, Veronica?" Logan pleaded with her, "Please tell me."

She turned back toward him. "It's nothing. You're right." She stood up and set the coffee on her dresser. "I'm dying to take a shower after that long flight. Why don't we get showered and changed and then we can go and get some lunch and I can show you around the neighborhood so you won't feel too out of place here." She grabbed a robe from her closet. "There should be enough room in my closet if you want to hang a few things up and the dresser there by the window is mostly empty in the bottom half, so you can use those drawers too. You can unpack your stuff while I go take a shower, then you can take one after me." She barely waited for him to agree before she had grabbed her coffee cup again and disappeared into the bathroom.

_Why won't she fucking talk to me? I see she still can't deal with discussing any of her real feelings. _Logan stood there looking around the room for a few minutes after he heard the shower turn on. He remembered seeing a small balcony off the living room area, so he went out there and pulled his cell phone out. There were a couple chairs and a small table and he pulled one of the chairs out and sat down. He hit a contact on his phone and waited while it rang.

"Logan?" He couldn't quite tell if she was surprised or concerned.

"Hey Mac," he said softly into the phone.

"What's wrong?" Her tone was definitely concerned now.

"Nothing. Well I don't know. You tell me." He let out a sigh before he continued. "Mac why aren't you and Veronica friends anymore?"

"What are you talking about Logan? How…. Why would you even ask about that now?" Her concern was definitely replaced by confusion.

"Um… You're not going to believe this, but I'm actually in LA with her, helping her with a case."

"Oh… yeah, that is hard to believe." Mac let out a sigh before she continued. "I'm still her friend Logan. We just live so far apart and are both so busy that it's hard to stay in touch sometimes."

Logan hesitated before he asked his next question. "And Wallace? She told me you two seemed to have some falling out before you moved. Which, you never even told me you did, so thanks for that by the way."

Mac chuckled at his annoyance, "Hey, you still have my number and email. It's not like we send each other Christmas cards, so I didn't think my physical location mattered really."

"What if I'd wanted to send you an expensive thank you gift sometime?" He teased, knowing that was never their thing.

"Right," she replied with a little laugh. "I'll stick with the investment funding option instead."

Logan sighed and went back to the other question she didn't answer, "And Wallace?"

"Logan, just don't worry about it." He could tell by the tone in her voice that it was what he'd suspected as soon as Veronica had told him.

"Mac, I'm so sorry. I never in a million years wanted to cause you any trouble because of that."

Her tone changed to be harsher than it had been, "Logan, it's not your fault he was an ass about it. You didn't do anything wrong. He's the one who made his decision even though I told him I completely disagreed with him."

"But you didn't have to choose a side Mac. I never wanted you to do that."

"Logan, really it's not your fault. Don't dwell on it please." She hesitated a second. "You made me promise you something that night that I didn't want to do or agree with, so now I'm making you promise me you'll just drop it because it's not something you should feel bad about."

He shook his head and took a deep breath. "Fine, on one condition. I'd like you to try to come down and visit us while I'm here. I doubt I'd be able to get away to fly up to Seattle, but maybe you could fly down to LA."

"I'll think about it." She replied softly.

"Great. I hope to see you sometime soon then." The door to the patio slid open right as he'd said that.

"I've got to go," Logan quickly said into the phone since Veronica was there now.

"Bye," she said on the other end and disconnected the call.

He turned to look at Veronica who had a suspicious look on her face. He gave her a big smile and stood up. "My turn to shower?" He started walking past her into the apartment. He quickly grabbed one of his suit cases and went into the bathroom, being sure to lock the door this time. _Not that locking the door is going to do much good if she really wanted to get in here and cross-examine me again._ He started the water, watching the door carefully before he finally got undressed and climbed in. _And we're off to a terrific start back here in LA_


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N – I know several people have commented that the chapters are too short, but at least I'm keeping up with the frequent updates. I thought I'd be nice and post the next chapter today and not make you all wait two days for it. Although the rest of the week will be every other day. I hope you all enjoy this one.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 18

When Logan came out of the shower he found Veronica sitting on the chair in her room waiting for him again. He noticed she'd dried her hair and put on a little make-up in addition to getting dressed.

"So I was thinking about Ash while I was in the shower…" Logan started to say.

Veronica gave him an amused look and waggled her eyebrows at him. "He is pretty cute isn't he?"

Logan laughed and shook his head. "Not like that. I was surprised that even your neighbors know you as Lindsey. Do you just go by that name all the time here now?"

She nodded as she replied. "Yeah, it's just easier to not have to keep track of who knows which version of me, so for the most part, unless I'm with other FBI agents or my dad or Wallace, I'm Lindsey."

She gave him a curious look. "Did anyone else in Brazil besides Weevil know who you really were? Did anyone call you Logan there?"

Logan sighed a little before he answered, "Yeah, a few people knew who I was, but no one called me Logan, other than Weevil when he'd get really mad at me."

She gave him a grim look, "Gabriela knew who you really were didn't she?"

_How the hell did we get back here already?_ Logan nodded, "Yeah, and Marcos too." _Time to change the topic._ "So are you ready to go to lunch? I'm famished."

"That's why Marcos was so surprised when I first mentioned coming back to LA." She replied, apparently not ready to change the topic yet. She furrowed her eyebrows for a minute. "Why didn't you correct me the other night when I called you Logan? You seemed pretty adamant earlier in the week about it."

He got an embarrassed look on his face and smiled shyly. "It's actually sort of strange when you call me Billy and I only did that when I was mad at you."

She gave him a small smile and shook her head. "Well _Billy_, I guess we should head to lunch now."

"Sounds fabulous, _Lindsey_." He replied with a smirk.

"Oh before I forget, the '_magazine'_ I work for is hosting a small party Thursday night and inviting some of the other racers from Fontana so you can start meeting them. Ratner set it up while we were still in Sao Paulo."

He gave her a confused look, "So there really is a magazine?"

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, well in this age of lots of digital on-line only magazines it actually makes a very good cover for us to use. Plus if you interview and photograph people and there are never any articles, people tend to get suspicious. It works out pretty well for us. There are quite a few other agents that use it for their covers too, plus they hire a few other actual staff to make sure it looks as legitimate as possible."

"So Ratner really does have to write an article about me?" He asked a bit unsure about that.

She shook her head, "No, you know it's not real, so he won't. He actually _hates_ when he has to actually write the articles." She laughed a bit, "Sometimes he'll pay me to write them and then he just puts his name on them. That's how I got my new couch."

He chuckled at her and smiled. "Don't you want to write an article about how amazing I am?"

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "No. I could write one about how big of a pain in the ass you are though if you'd like."

"Oh, so it's fictional stories then?" He asked with a sly smile.

She shook her head again and went to grab a jacket and her purse. She paused at a table by the door and opened a small drawer. "Here, I have something for you."

He walked over and gave her a curious look. She held up her hand with a key ring and a key. "You'd better have your own key to the apartment so you can get in when you need to."

"My very own key? You mean I won't have to sweet talk any apartment building staff to be let in? That almost takes some of the fun out of it." He teased. She shook her head and tossed it to him as she headed for the door. Once she was out in the hall she smiled and held out her hand for him. He smiled and took her hand, along with a deep breath. _It will be nice to spend the afternoon with Lindsey and deal with Veronica and the issues she still obviously has with me later._

Veronica took him to her favorite local restaurant that was only a couple of blocks from her apartment. It was a brew pub called Harley's that had a very friendly vibe. The waitress gave her a warm smile and greeted her by name, _Lindsey_, when she saw her at the booth, and then gave her a questioning look when she saw Logan sitting across from her. _I wonder who she was expecting instead._ They weren't selling the act quite as much as they had in Brazil since no one actually knew who he was here yet. She was still being pleasant with him, although other than holding hands as they had walked, they hadn't been much more affectionate than that.

"So when can I go look for a place at the beach?" He asked as they sipped on their beers waiting for the burgers they had ordered.

"You were barely even in my apartment and you're already anxious to get a new place?" She asked with a questioning look.

He gave her a suggestive look, "Come on, house hunting could be a lot of fun and look good for our '_relationship_'. Don't you know that realtor's love to gossip about helping celebrities find houses? And just think of how much fun we could have trying out the master bedrooms." He waggled his eyebrows at her. She laughed and shook her head. "Not to mention if you want to really get in tight with other drivers, hosting parties really is the best chance you'll have, and your dinky apartment isn't going to cut it. I'm sure we could find a great long term rental in Malibu that would work."

She gave him a questioning glance and he anticipated what she was going to say next. "And like I said, I'm going to pay for it, because it was one of my prerequisites remember, so you can't argue with me about how fancy or how much it costs."

"Are you sure?" she asked with a concerned look on her face.

He leaned in closer so no one else could hear him, "Did you not actually check into how much I'm worth these days?" Besides the inheritance he'd gotten from his parents and all the residuals from his dad's movies, he'd also been making quite a bit of money from the projects he'd invested in with Mac. Veronica had a slightly guilty look on her face. "That's what I thought, so don't argue with me about it okay?"

"Fine," she said with a slight sigh.

"Plus when Dick comes to visit, I don't think you want to be trapped in 500 square feet with him do you?"

Veronica's eyes popped open. "Is that who you were talking to earlier on the balcony?"

A mischievous smile formed across Logan's face. "Maybe, maybe not." _I just can't help myself from taunting her can I? But I'm not ready to get into the whole Mac and Wallace mess yet. _

Veronica rolled her eyes. "You know I could get your cell phone records if I wanted to right?"

_Oh fuck, why didn't I think about that? _He narrowed his eyes at her to try not to let her see that bothered him. "But you won't right? I'm not who you're investigating for this case. That feels a bit like an invasion of my privacy. I didn't really sign up for that much disclosure." He paused and gave her a devilish look, "The next thing I know you're going to be censoring what porn I'm allowed to watch."

She gave him a glare and shook her head. "Seriously though, did you invite Dick to come and see you? I didn't know you were even still friends."

Logan shrugged. "You never asked about him. We've stayed in touch over the years. When I left he became more involved with his fraternity, plus his dad was trying to rebuild his relationship with him, but we'd still talk every once in a while and he came to see me several times in Brazil. I think having the fraternity guys there for him really helped. While Chip may have been a bit of a douche bag, there were some good guys in his fraternity too and they kept him from getting into too much trouble."

Veronica nodded, "Yeah, of course I ran into him several times at Hearst, so knew he was still there and seemed to be going to classes, so figured he hadn't flunked out at least. I just didn't know that you stayed in touch with him after you left." He thought he saw a bit of annoyance cross her face for a moment, but then it was gone and she smiled again.

"So is that who you were talking to on the balcony?" She looked intently at him, like she was trying to tell if he was going to lie to her.

Logan sighed, "No, I was talking to someone else. I'd rather not get into that with you, but if we do, I certainly don't want to do it here." _Isn't that basically what she told me at the airport, and she still didn't tell me what was going on with her there._

"Fine," she replied and glanced around the bar for a few minutes. She finally turned back to him. "You do make a good point about hosting parties though. I'm not sure about your realtor theory, but I do agree that if we want to get other drivers to know us and give me a chance to figure out who might be involved with what I'm investigating, that would be a good way to do it."

Logan gave her a satisfied smile._ Finally I get credit for a good idea._ "Weevil's not going to be up here with the car until late on Thursday. That gives us the next couple of days to play house hunting love birds." He gave her a little wink. "We could drive out there tomorrow morning or tonight even and just stay at a hotel and start looking tomorrow morning."

"You're awfully eager to get out of my little 500 square foot apartment aren't you?" She said with her eyebrows raised.

"No offense, it's very quaint." He gave her a wink, "but I think we'd both be much happier if we weren't trapped in such tight quarters with each other, don't you?"

"Yeah, I suppose you're right." She let out a little sigh. "Can I just sleep in my own bed for one night before we drive out there? We can leave first thing in the morning though, that's fine."

He nodded and gave her a grateful smile. _Finally we are going to do something I want to do._

After they ate, they headed back to her apartment so he could start doing some research online to find a realtor and find some houses he wanted to look at. He decided he wouldn't bother to unpack any of his things because he was hoping they'd find something quickly that they could start renting immediately and he could just move in there instead. He sat on the couch searching on his tablet while Veronica had her laptop and case files spread out on the kitchen table. He quickly realized how oddly domestic their afternoon was starting to feel. He had a pad of paper too and was writing down the houses that he found that he liked the most. Every once in a while he'd glance over and see her completely engrossed in her notes. It reminded him of the few times during college when they tried to study together. Usually that ended up with them naked in bed instead of actually being constructive. _Well that's certainly not happening today._

She eventually came over and joined him on the couch to see what he'd found. He pulled up the ones that he liked the most for her to look at. He watched her eyes get big as she started looking at the houses he'd found. "Too much?" he asked curiously. "What would work better for your case? For us to appear super rich, or just moderately rich? Since you can't actually tell me any details, can you at least tell me that?"

"I suppose having a questionable source of income might actually be convenient, so an over the top place could actually work." She said almost begrudgingly.

"Excellent!" He said in a giddy voice. He opened another link that took them to an even fancier option that he had found that he didn't want to show her first because he was afraid she'd totally balk at it, but now he hoped she would actually go along with it.

"Wow!" was all she could say as she clicked through the pictures of it. "Are you sure you want to spend this much though?"

"Well it's a rental, so it comes fully furnished, and if it's only for a few months, that's not so bad." He gave her a little wink, "You saw my financials right?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, you don't need to keep rubbing it in Richie Rich."

She clicked through a few more of the pictures of the house. "Seriously though, you really don't have to get something this fancy just for my case. The other ones you showed me would work just fine too Logan."

He wrapped his arm around her shoulders and gave her a playful smile, "But my sweet little lambkins deserves only the very best."

She laughed, "You know all your little pet names are really annoying right?"

"Of course I do, why do you think I keep using them." He gave her a wicked grin, "I googled '_the most annoying pet names_' earlier, so I have a whole list of new ones to use."

She gave him an annoyed look and poked him in the side.

"Come on Pookie Bear, you're suppose to find them endearing." He couldn't help but smirk at her, as she shook her head and cringed.

They ended up spending the rest of the evening watching a movie and having a pizza delivered. He was surprised that they were actually able to just spend a nice evening together without any arguing. _Maybe this won't go so badly if we can just stay civil to each other of course denial about what's really going on will likely explode at some point._ Veronica barely made it through the movie without falling asleep. "All right Schmoopy Poo," Logan said as the movie credits started to run, "you'd better go to bed because I'm not carrying you in there if you fall asleep out here."

"Did you seriously google pet names?" She asked with a sleepy yawn.

"Maybe," he answered with a mischievous smile as he stood up and held his hand out to help her up from the couch. He gave her a more serious look. "Your couch isn't as small as the hotel couch. If you'd prefer I sleep out here, that's fine with me. Just let me know where I can find a pillow and a blanket."

She shook her head and kept a hold of his hand and pulled him back toward her room. "It's the least I can do for you for agreeing to come all the way up here for me." She stopped as they walked into her room and hesitated a moment before she spoke. "And thank you Logan. I really do appreciate it even if this isn't going as smoothly as you'd probably have preferred."

"Hey, when was anything we ever did smooth and easy." He gave her a wink and gently squeezed her hand. _No one writes songs about the ones that come easy._

She nodded and then went into her bathroom to change.

He slipped into a pair of sleep pants and sat on the end of the bed holding his toothbrush while he waited for her to come back out. She gave him an amused look when she finally came out of the bathroom in a tank top and sleep shorts. He stood up and went to take his turn in the bathroom. When he came back out he found her asleep with the lights still on. He took a deep breath as he stood their watching her for a few minutes before he finally turned the lights off. _Yeah, that wasn't like borderline stalker creepy or anything just watching her sleep._ He shook his head at himself and carefully climbed into the other side of the bed so he wouldn't wake her up.

He was glad that after lunch they seemed to coexist better, although that was likely only because he didn't push her about opening up about what was going on earlier. He debated with himself about whether he should just go along with things as long as the tension was gone, or if he should actually try to get her to talk to him. He decided he'd just go along with it rather than push her, at least for as long as the peaceful coexistence lasted. _Knowing us, it probably won't last long, so I guess I should enjoy it while I can._


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N – I hope everyone enjoys this chapter. It's another fun one before they finally talk through some things in Chapter 20. I can't believe we're almost up to that one! **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 19

When Logan woke up he heard the shower running and could smell coffee coming from the other room. Logan laid there for a few minutes reflecting on the past week again. His original plan had been to help her with her case, get some closure and then leave. He realized the closure part was going to be a lot harder than he had expected. It was so easy to let himself hope for something more when she was being friendly and flirty, and even harder for him to remember that most of that was just an act for the case. He was still having a really difficult time figuring out how to just let go of those feelings that he still had for her. _And now today we are going house hunting together. _Even if it was just for the case it was still something he never expected to do with her. For a moment his stomach felt like it was in knots as he remembered finding his house in Brazil with Gabriela. She'd been so picky and dragged him all over looking at different houses until they finally found the perfect one. It had killed him the day he came home and all her things were gone, even though he'd expected it from the discussions they'd had after he'd fucked things up.

His recollection was interrupted by the sound of Veronica clearing her throat. He hadn't heard the bathroom door open and she was standing there giving him a strange look.

"Are you okay?" She asked as she came over and sat on the edge of the bed in her bath robe, still towel drying her hair.

He smiled and nodded, "yeah, why?"

She shrugged. "You just had an odd look on your face that's all."

"Just a little sleepy still I guess," he said as he stretched. "So my little sweet pea, ready to go find our dream house today?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

"Hunting for your dream house is my definition of a nightmare, but sure, why not." She said with a roll of her eyes.

"Great, we're meeting Maggie the realtor for lunch and then she'll take us to the one I really liked first and if we hate it in person, then she'll take us to a few of the others."

"How could anyone hate that house, it's gorgeous?" Veronica asked with a disbelieving look on her face.

"You never know, maybe there's a giant sink hole they cropped out of the pictures, or there could be a horrible dead fish smell, or..." he fake gasped "... hideously ugly neighbors who walk around naked." He added a fake shiver for effect.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "Still a drama queen I see. Did you want to eat breakfast here or on the way? And why do we have to meet her for lunch, couldn't we just meet her at the house?"

"Realtor's love to wine and dine the wealthy," he replied with a smirk. _And I was wanting some Lindsey time when I set it up yesterday. I'm so fucking pathetic. _"Your call on breakfast, darling dearest."

She shook her head at him. "I'll just cook up some eggs and bacon here then."

"Sounds great. I'll get showered and dressed while you slave away in the kitchen to serve me like a good girlfriend should." He gave her a wink and then dodged the pillow she tried to hit him with.

They were on their way to Malibu about an hour later. He convinced her to pack some clothes so they could stay there until they had to come back for the magazine party. She said she wasn't sure if she would stay that long but humored him and packed anyway. As she drove he mentioned wanting to get his own car soon too.

"Not that I don't love having my own personal chauffer," he teased. "It would be better if you had a sexy uniform though. Maybe we can stop and pick one up after we get the whole house hunting thing done. Maybe they'll have a two for one sale and we can get a French maid uniform for you to wear for when you're keeping our new house clean."

"Yeah, that's definitely not happening," She said with a small shake of her head.

He'd convinced her to walk on the beach for a little while before they had to meet the realtor since they made it out to Malibu quicker than they expected. He spotted a smoothie shop near the path to the beach and convinced her to stop in for a drink before they went out to the beach. On the way out of the smoothie shop he noticed a jewelry store was next door.

He looked at her then the store and then raised his eyebrows at her. She gave him a confused look then shook her head. "Come on, wouldn't it be more fun to get to introduce you as my fiancé? Will you fake marry me _Lindsey_?" He said in an overly dramatically romantic voice, as he made big puppy dog eyes at her.

She shook her head and tugged him back toward the path to the beach. He dropped down on a knee and gave her a mischievous smile. There weren't many people around them, but Veronica's face still turned bright red as she tried to yank him back up.

"Come on, it will be fun. Just think of Weevil's expression too when he gets here." He stood back up but didn't budge from the spot yet.

"Absolutely not," she said shaking her head.

He gave her a questioning look and pulled her closer to him. "Tell me the truth?" He stared intently at her. "Would it be more convincing for the case to say we're engaged rather than just dating? I am buying a house for you after all." He gave her a little wink and smiled at her.

"You're just renting a house, not buying it for me." She corrected him.

"Potato – Potahto," he quicky replied. "Plus, I thought when you and Ratner first talked to me that was one of the things that wasn't decided yet."

She sighed and shook her head. "I don't think we need to go that far."

"You didn't answer my question though. Would it be more convincing for the case?"

"I'm not letting you buy me a ring!" she finally said as firmly as she could. "Renting a house is one thing, but buying a real diamond ring is totally different."

He stood their contemplating that. "Oh come on, I could sell it on Craig's List or something when we're done. Or donate it to some charity. It's not like I have to buy the most expensive ring they have."

She still kept the same adamant look on her face and shook her head. He gave her a mischievous look. "How about this? We'll let fate decide. If we go in and they have an engagement ring, that's in my price range AND it fits you perfectly as is, then we buy it and you have to pretend to by my fiancé. If not, then we don't. And there has to be some minimum price though, maybe we say 4 to 8 grand, I can't have my fiancé have some dinky little ring on her finger."

"Why are you in such a strange mood today?" She finally asked with a quizzical look on her face.

He shrugged, "I don't know, I'm just trying to have some fun. So don't be a buzz kill _Lindsey_." He gave her a little wink. "Plus, with how freakishly tiny you are, they probably won't have one that actually fits you. So what do you say? Leave it up to fate?"

She glared at him when he called her freakishly tiny and then shook her head again. "8 grand is way too much, how about 2 to 5 grand?" She laughed, "I can't believe I'm even considering letting you talk me into this. This is totally insane, you know that right?"

"I'll let you pick the charity we donate it to," he offered up, hoping that might help sell the idea. "And 4 to 6 grand."

"I can't believe I'm agreeing to this," she said with a totally disbelieving smile on her face. "You promise you'll donate it to charity then when we're done?"

He smiled and nodded, "Sure, what am I going to do with it anyway. I'm sure you'll find a great charity that can use whatever money they can get from reselling it. You know that's a small amount of money compared to the rent on that house right?"

"Don't remind me, I'm just pretending I didn't see that information on the website last night. You know my captain will freak if he finds out I let you do all of this."

Logan pretended to zip his lips shut. "You're secret's safe with me." He tugged on her arm and this time she actually followed. "Let's see if fate thinks my idea's a good one or not."

An hour later they were walking back up to the car from the beach. He was still chuckling about the reaction of the salesman at the jewelry store. Veronica must have caught the look he made.

"Are you still laughing about that poor man?" She asked trying to hide her own grin. "He about had a coronary at the thought of a man proposing before he'd bought a ring. And you were so over the top in there. I'm glad we didn't actually give him our names."

Logan laughed and gave her a mischievous grin. "You've got to admit it was fun though." He reached down and grabbed her hand, pulling it up so he could look at the ring. "It's a bit smaller than I would have liked, but it was pretty amazing he had something to fit your tiny little finger."

Veronica shook her head at him, "It's still 2 carats. I think it's plenty big."

"Why thank you," he said as he waggled his eyebrows at her. "That's what they all say."

She scoffed and shoved him a little, causing him to lose his balance and yank her into him. "Come on Shoogie Woogie, we don't want to be late for our lunch date." He said with a cheesy grin as she took a step back from their little collision.

Once they left the beach, they drove to the restaurant that the realtor was meeting them at. The restaurant was right off the PCH overlooking the ocean. Logan wrapped his arm around Veronica's waist as they walked in. Maggie was waiting inside the front door for them.

"You must be Billy Deimos?" Maggie asked as they came in. Maggie was dressed in a business suit and looked to be in her early 40's. Logan nodded and smiled.

"And this gorgeous woman is my fiancé Lindsey Evans." He smiled lovingly at her and she smiled back. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips to help sell the act.

"Aren't you two just the cutest couple?" Maggie cooed at them. She flagged a waitress down and after a minute they were all seated. Logan scooted his chair as close as possible to Veronica's, and wrapped his arm around her. He started playing with her hair as they looked at the menus and decided what to order.

They spent time during lunch selling their cover stories to Maggie. That he was a race car driver that just relocated from Sao Paulo, and that she was a magazine photographer based out of LA. Maggie also told them all about the house that Logan had been most interested in.

"Since it's usually used as a rental for celebrities coming in and out of town, there's already a standing contract with a house cleaning service that comes in every other day to do some light cleaning and change out linens and things like that. And of course there are also contracts with a landscaping company and pool service too, so you won't have to worry about setting up any of that sort of thing. You said you'll probably be wanting to rent it for at least 6 months?"

Logan nodded, "Does that sound about right to you sweetheart or do you think we should lock in a longer contract to start with?" He gave Veronica a small smile and questioning glance.

"Well you never know where I might have to relocate to for the magazine assignments, so I think 6 months sounds perfect," she replied, playing along perfectly.

"I think you two love birds will never want to leave once you're there. It's an absolutely spectacular home. We've had several famous celebrities stay when they've been in town filming." She leaned in a little closer to whisper to them. "The neighboring property is actually owned by Connor Larkin."

Logan tried hard not to choke on his drink, while Veronica's eyes got a little larger. "Wow, Connor Larkin?" Veronica asked in a fake astonished voice. "Did you hear that baby? We'd be living next door to THE Connor Larkin. Maybe we could get his autograph." She gave him a smug little grin and he narrowed his eyes slightly at her.

"Well I heard he's out of town filming currently, but maybe he'll be back sometime before you leave." Maggie continued on, apparently not noticing the little looks the other two shared.

When they were finished eating they followed Maggie to the house in Veronica's car. "Do you think it will be a problem living next door to Connor?" She asked once they were driving. "What if he recognizes you?"

"Me? What about you? He knows who you are too." He quickly replied.

Veronica laughed, "Come on, that was like one time years ago, okay I guess two times that I saw him. I seriously doubt he'd remember me." She paused for a moment in thought. "Ohhhh, but I hope you're right about the nudist neighbor if it's him. I wouldn't complain about watching him walk around in the buff all the time." Logan grimaced slightly. "I'm sure he wouldn't be as awkward naked as you are," she added with a devious grin.

"Whatever," he replied with a slight hint of annoyance in his tone. "I may just take back that fake marriage proposal if you keep this up."

She laughed and shook her head at him.

They pulled up next to Maggie's car at the house. "Wow, it's actually even more impressive than the photographs," Veronica said before she climbed out of the car. "And I don't spot any sink holes yet. Let's go see if it smells like dead fish," she teased before she opened her door. "Although for naked Connor Larkin, I'd gladly deal with the dead fish smell."

Logan scoffed and opened his door to climb out. He stood in front of the car waiting for her and took her hand as they walked up the steps to the front door where Maggie was already waiting for them. The house really was amazing, and Maggie took them from room to room giving them an overview of all the amenities and features. There was a gorgeous patio that could be accessed from several rooms in the house all through beautiful sets of French doors. The view was breathtaking and it had its own semi-private beach. Maggie explained that there were several houses that shared the same beach, but otherwise it was closed to public access.

"Oh sweetie, maybe we'll run into Connor Larkin on the beach some day," Veronica said in her best fan-girl voice to him.

"Oh, dare to dream," he grumbled back quietly enough that Maggie couldn't hear him.

There was a game room with a very fancy pool table and built in bar, in addition to a state of the art media room. There were four bedrooms, with one exquisitely appointed master suite that looked out over the ocean, with an equally impressive master bathroom.

They finally ended up back downstairs in the open concept kitchen, dining and living room space. "Well what do you two think?" Maggie asked excitedly. "Isn't it just the most amazing place you've ever seen?"

Logan looked at Veronica with a questioning glance. "What do you think sugar bear? Is this the perfect place for us?"

Veronica smirked back at him and shook her head slightly. "I'll leave it up to you. It is very nice though." She said, apparently not wanting to sound too overly excited so he could make up his own mind.

He'd already decided this was the house he wanted when he found it online the night before, so he gave her a big smile, then leaned in and gave her a big kiss. "I think it's perfect for us." He said with an even bigger cheesy grin on his face.

"Fabulous!" Maggie replied. "I've got all the papers in my bag for you to sign. Let's just go over by the dining room table and the place can be all yours as soon as you sign everything for me." Logan had already emailed her all the necessary financial information the night before, contingent on them liking it in person, so Maggie didn't need to worry about any of that today.

Maggie had pulled out the papers for Logan to sign while Veronica stood near the large window staring out at the ocean again. He'd been enjoying watching her reaction to the house ever since they arrived. He knew if it wasn't for the case and his insistence, she would never have gone along with something like this when they were actually together because she was never one to let him spend a lot of money on her. He was almost to the last sheet of paper he had to sign when Veronica's phone rang and he noticed a surprised expression on her face as she looked at the display before answering it.


	20. Chapter 20

_**A/N – FINALLY Chapter 20! I never said everything would be resolved or revealed in this chapter, but they do finally get some things out in the open. This is LoVe though, so this is definitely a good one step forward chapter. I'm not sure it will live up to what everyone was hoping for, but hopefully it's a step in the direction everyone was hoping for them to go and a few of your questions get answered.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I'd love to know what you all think of this chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 20

Logan was trying to listen to Veronica talk on her phone as Maggie was finishing up telling him some of the other details about the house and making sure he'd signed in all the appropriate places.

He kept glancing up from the table over toward Veronica who had moved away from the window to stand a little closer to one set of the French doors when she answered her phone. "Hi, this is a nice surprise," he heard Veronica say as she answered the call. He saw her expression change from a smile to her brow being furrowed though as she looked over at him. "Yeah, how did you know?" Her eyes locked on his for a moment, and then she shifted her gaze down to the ground, but her expression remained upset. He noticed she had lifted her hand up and was biting on her thumb nail as she spoke to whoever had called.

He was glad Maggie was finally saying good bye and handed him the keys as she walked to the door to let herself out. Logan turned his full attention back to Veronica who still had the same upset expression on her face. He wasn't sure what else he'd missed as he was saying good bye to Maggie. He leaned against the table for a moment watching her, not sure if he should move closer or if she'd prefer her space. He wondered if something was wrong with her dad maybe with how her mood had swung from being happy when she first answered it, to upset so suddenly. Her greeting didn't seem like it could be work related.

"Can I get back to you about that?" Veronica asked. He couldn't help but pick up the frustration and uncertainty in her tone. Then she seemed to try to force her voice to be a bit happier than her expression, "Thanks for calling. It really is good to hear from you…. you too… bye." _That doesn't sound like a good-bye dad type greeting. _He started moving slowly over toward her.

She ended the call and he could tell something was really very wrong. She looked at him with her brows still very furrowed, and a devastated expression slowly appearing on her face. _Who the hell was that?_ The only time he remembered seeing quite the same expression was when she'd found out about him and Madison. His stomach clenched thinking back to that.

"What's wrong Veronica? Who was on the phone?" He asked as he took a few more steps closer to her.

She shook her head and laughed bitterly. "You know… I had thought it was _everyone_ you left behind when you never came back… but no I guess it was just _me_."

"What are you talking about Veronica? Who was on the phone?" He tried to put his hand on her shoulder, but she shoved it away and glared at him.

"That was Mac," she said angrily, but he could tell she was on the verge of crying. Her tone and expression was the one he'd recognized from when she was furious and upset at the same time and battling with herself not to cry, just like that one horrible day at the Grand. "Who _apparently_ you've stayed in touch with all this time, but not _me_. Is that who you were talking to yesterday on the balcony?" She paused for a moment and took a deep shaky breath. "She said you'd called yesterday and told her you were in LA with me."

Logan was really surprised and confused by her reaction. "Veronica, why are you so mad about this?"

"Why am I so mad?" she asked incredulously, opening her eyes widely at him. "I'm so _mad_ because I thought you actually still loved me when you left and then you never fucking came back, but yet you stayed in contact with _Mac?_" She shook her head and he could tell her eyes were starting to tear up and her voice was getting shakier. "Dick I can understand… But Mac… and not me?"

He took a deep breath and tried to reach out to her again, but she shook her head and stepped back away from him. "Veronica… you're the one who told me to leave… You also were the one who was planning to transfer to a different college to get away from me. Don't you remember that?" Logan was completely caught off guard and confused by what she'd just said and wasn't quite sure what he should say to make this better. _How can this be my fault? She's the one who told me to leave and that we couldn't be together._

"I never said to leave _forever_ Logan!" She angrily yelled at him, with tears starting to run down her cheeks. "I said to go to South America for the summer… to give Gory some time to cool off and forget about you… I never said to stay away _forever_. But… But you left me and you _never_ came back."

He took another deep breath and tried to stay calm but he was starting to raise his voice slightly too. He couldn't help but feel a bit defensive when she started to yell at him. "_You_ could have called me_,_ Veronica… if you wanted me to come back… but _you_ never did. The only reason Mac and I remained friends was because she called me when I disappeared. Because she seemed to actually care that I was okay. I never heard anything from _you_… _You_ told me to leave."

She shook her head and still looked just as hurt and angry. She looked like she was trying to keep from crying, but wasn't really able to as a few tears started down her cheeks. She looked up for a moment, and then wiped at her eyes. "I thought you'd come back after a while, but you never did. I thought if I meant anything to you that you'd eventually come back and make sure I was okay…" She took in a deep shuddering breath before she lashed out at him again. "…You didn't even come back when I was shot."

A sharp pain spread through Logan's chest hearing the hurt in her tone as she spoke and when she mentioned the shooting. He let out a deep breath. "I'm sorry… You're right... I didn't see you when you were shot." Logan shook his head and headed out the French doors that led to the patio. He didn't want to say something to make this worse, but he didn't know what to say to make it better. He just needed a few minutes to figure out what to do. _Damn Wallace. I should never have left LA that day and should have listened to Mac. No wonder Veronica was so pissed at me when she saw me again if this is how she's felt all these years. God, it's almost the same way that I felt about her not trying to find me. _He sat down on the steps that led from the patio to the beach and looked out toward the ocean as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. He was trying to figure out what he should say or do next. _Walking out on her probably wasn't the best idea, but I didn't want to fuck this up more and say something I'll regret later._ He was surprised to hear her footsteps approaching him. She took a seat next to him and he turned to look at her. He was relieved to see that her expression wasn't as hurt and angry as before. She still looked upset, but now there was an almost questioning look on her face too. She'd also wiped the tears from a few minutes before away, although her eyes were still a little misty.

"Did you come back when I was shot Logan?" She asked as she studied him carefully. "You said you didn't _see_ me, not that you didn't come back."

_Always the astute detective._ "It doesn't really matter now does it?" He asked regretfully.

"It matters to me," she said as she nodded and reached out and squeezed his hand.

Logan took a deep breath before he spoke. "Yes, I came back."

Veronica looked at him with a confused expression. "Then why didn't I see you... Why didn't I know..." Logan let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head. Her eyes got a little bigger and she opened her mouth but then closed it again and shook her head. "Did my dad not let you see me?" she finally asked in a disbelieving tone, her eyes opening a bit wider than they had been.

Logan shook his head and looked out at the ocean again. Even the rhythmic soothing motion of the waves wasn't really helping him feel any calmer at the moment. "No, I ran into Wallace," Logan said with a frustrated angry sigh. "And he didn't think it was a great idea for me to see you and threatened to have me removed by security."

He heard Veronica let out a deep breath. She was silent for a few minutes apparently thinking over everything he'd said. He was still staring out at the ocean when she finally spoke again "That's why Mac was so mad at him, wasn't it? She left just a couple weeks after it happened."

Logan turned to look at her again. He felt so bad about the repercussions his coming to see her that day may have caused. "I think so, but she never told me that." He paused a moment. "I didn't even know she'd moved away until you told me yesterday and I had no idea that you two weren't still good friends. I'm so sorry for causing that to happen."

She looked sadly at him and shook her head. "It's not your fault Logan. Wallace was the one who made that decision. I'm sure he thought he was doing what he felt was best, but that still didn't give him the right to make that decision for me or not even tell me that he did." She let out a frustrated sigh before she continued. "I'm surprised Mac didn't just tell me what was going on though."

Logan gave her a sympathetic look, "I made her promise me she wouldn't tell you I'd been there. I didn't want you to be mad at Wallace for just trying to protect you because I know first hand how badly that can go… I guess I thought if I couldn't be there for you, I didn't want to cause a rift between you and him too… I never imagined it would cause her to stop being friends with him and to avoid you though, I swear. I really am so sorry about that."

She gave him a gentle smile and studied his face for a few moments. She gave his handle a little squeeze before she spoke again. "It's okay. You didn't know." She let go of his hand and crossed her arms across her lap. She looked out at the ocean again and took a deep breath before she closed her eyes tightly. He was carefully watching her and wondered what she was thinking now that caused the change in her posture. She kept her head turned out toward the water, and then finally spoke again in a very quiet tone. "I may have been keeping something from you as well."

He reached over and turned her face back to him. She slowly opened her eyes and her expression became apologetic. "What haven't you told me, Veronica?" He asked softy as he studied her face intently.

She took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "I never told you that I came to see you when you were in the hospital in Sao Paulo either." Her eyes were watching him carefully as she made her revelation and an uncertain expression crossed her face.

Logan was completely taken by surprise, "You did?"

She nodded, "You were still heavily sedated though and I only stayed a few days."

"Why didn't you leave a note, or tell someone to tell me you were there? They never told me a blond woman came to visit me…." He trailed off thinking back. So much of that time was a blur because of all the medications he was on. "You wore a wig didn't you?" he asked suddenly. "One of the nurses commented on a little red head who had visited me a few times and wondered who she was and when she was coming back. I had no idea what she was talking about." She nodded slowly and looked a little guilty.

She took another deep breath. "I saw _her_ too. I thought she was your girlfriend… or wife… or whatever, I didn't know, so then I decided it was probably better that you didn't know I'd been there."

"What? Who did you see? What are you talking about?" Logan asked confused by her comment.

"Gabriela. She was already in your room one of the days when I got there. I looked in the door and she was by the bed holding your hand. I waited outside by another room and then when she finally did come out she was so upset and crying. I decided after that to go back to LA." Veronica explained with a regretful look on her face.

_Wow, how much did I miss while I was unconscious?_ "I… I didn't know she'd come to see me in the hospital either..." Logan replied trying to process everything. _The dreams… Veronica talking to me… hearing her say she loved me… could that have been real and not just dreams? Should I ask her? Would she even admit it or would it freak her out even more?_

Logan looked at her with a confused expression still on his face, seeing her reaction to him in Sau Paulo in a new light now. "Is that why you were so mad at me when you first saw me again? Because of Gabriela?"

She took a deep breath. "Well, partly because of her… Since I recognized Gabriela from the hospital I knew you were lying to me about just being acquaintances when I came to your house. And of course seeing her with you at the bar the first night, whether or not she was married… and your reaction to her, well… you can imagine what I thought." She paused for a moment before she shook her head and continued. "But not just because of her... " She gestured back up toward the house, "… it was also because I was mad that you never came back." She looked like she was about to cry again as her forehead crinkled a bit, "But you did come back and I just never knew."

He reached over and pulled her into his chest and rested his cheek against the top of her head. _All this time I was mad that she never came to find me and she was mad I never came back for her, when we both actually tried._ "We make quite the pair, don't we Mars?" he said as he softly rubbed her back. He felt her nod her head against his chest and heard a small sad laugh.

They sat like that for quite a while before Logan finally spoke again. "I saw a few bottles of wine up in the house. Why don't I go and get you a glass and then I can start a fire in the fire-pit. We can hang out and enjoy the view, and then watch the sunset in a while. I could order some take out for dinner later."

She took a deep breath, her head still against his chest. "Italian?"

He smiled and nodded, "Yeah, we can have Italian."

She leaned back so she could look up at him. He could tell a few tears had escaped down her cheeks again. "Thanks for caring enough to come back when I was shot, even if I didn't know it." A few tears formed in her eyes again. He reached up and wiped them away.

He nodded and pulled her closer so he could kiss her forehead, and then tipped his head down to look in her eyes again. "I'm so sorry things got so fucked up for us." He said as he rested his forehead against hers and looked intently at her.

"Me too," she said in a quiet voice.

He gave her a soft smile. _No one writes songs about the ones that come easy. _She gave him a small smile too then pressed her lips to his. Her hand came up and gently stroked his cheek and made its way into his hair as they continued to kiss. He let her set the pace because if it was up to him, he'd already have dragged her back up to the plush king sized bed in the master suit. He wasn't sure if it was just a thank you kiss, or if it meant something more. It was more of a gentle kiss, not deep and passionate, but it still felt so good that he didn't want to over think it or ruin it by asking. It was definitely more genuine than when she'd kissed him in the bedroom at Luis's house. She stopped after a minute and smiled at him.

"Practicing for our cover story?" He asked with a silly grin on his face.

"Yeah," she replied back in a coy voice. "We don't want to risk blowing our cover now do we?"

He shook his head, and leaned in and kissed her again. This time, he moved his hand up to her head too and pulled her toward him. He kept it fairly chaste as well though, deciding he'd better let her lead and he'd just follow her example. She broke away after a minute, but was still smiling at him. "So where's this wine you promised me," she asked with a questioning tone and a very shy smile on her face. It was just like the smile she'd given him that night in her hotel room after they talked about Marcos. _God I've missed that smile._

He stood up and offered his hand to help her up as well. He led her back over to the fire-pit on the edge of the patio and he flipped on the gas switch to get it started before he headed back into the house as she took a seat in one of the chairs. _Well that wasn't exactly the closure I was expecting, but is this better or not?_ He found which cabinet the wine glasses were in and started looking around for a bottle opener. _Just because she's not mad anymore that I never came back doesn't mean she still has feelings for me now. _He finally found an opener and grabbed a bottle of wine from a small wine rack in the kitchen. _Well we may have months to work this out and it's not like she's going anywhere until the case is over, so maybe taking this slow is the best thing to do. A lot could change in a few months, and even if she doesn't still love me now, that doesn't mean that she couldn't fall in love with me again. _Logan shook his head as he poured wine into two glasses. _Or I could get my heart completely crushed again when this is all over._ He grabbed the glasses and bottle of wine and headed back to the deck. He sat in the chair closest to hers that also faced out toward the ocean and handed her one of the glasses.

"I googled local restaurants while you were inside and found one that delivers Italian," She said with a friendly smile as he sat back down.

"Are you seriously hungry already?" Logan teased her with a smile, "We just ate lunch, barely over an hour ago." She just smiled and shrugged.

They spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing on the patio drinking wine and then after the sun finally set they went back inside. It was winter, so the sun set earlier than in the summer and once it went down, it quickly got chilly on the patio with the breeze blowing in from the ocean. The fire pit helped keep them a little warm, but they both agreed they'd rather head back inside.

Neither one seemed to want to get into any heavy discussion though, and they mostly stuck to safe topics like how nice the house was and when they should plan to host their first dinner party. Ratner had done some research for him on the track at Fontana and emailed her some information for her to pass on to Logan, so they went over that once they were back inside. There weren't any races this coming Saturday, but there would be one the following Saturday that he could enter. He'd also sent on details about track and race rules that were different in the US than in Brazil so Logan would be aware of any requirements they needed to meet. Ratner had also set up some track practice times for him and was working with Weevil to get space for the car and was also going to look into renting a trailer for them to use at the track similar to what they had in Brazil. Veronica still wouldn't share anything specific about the case with him though, which made him a bit uneasy because he still didn't know how dangerous it might actually be for her.

He decided to bring their suitcases in from the car before they ordered dinner and when he came back in with them, he gave her a curious look. "I'm guessing we should have all our things in the master bedroom right?" He asked, trying to sound innocent at least. "You know, since there will be house cleaners coming in a few times a week and we don't want any rumors getting out that we aren't really a couple."

"Good point," she said with a suspicious smile. "So I guess you can take all the bags up to the master bedroom."

He nodded and smiled before he continued. "I suppose that also means you'd better sleep in there with me too, so it doesn't look suspicious if they come in before you wake up and find you in another bedroom."

She rolled her eyes, but gave him a small smile. "I suppose that's true." She shook her head and bit on her lip for a second. "Just for the case though," she added trying to look a little more serious, though there was still a small smile on her lips.

"Right," he said as he turned toward the stairs. He was smiling even more, but had turned his back so she couldn't see it. "Just for the case."


	21. Chapter 21

_**A/N – I'm glad so many people liked the last chapter. This one's sort of similar to the last so I hope you all like it too. A few of the comments people mentioned are actually addressed in this one that weren't covered in Chapter 20.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I'd love to know what you all think of this chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 21

Logan thought it seemed like they were almost walking on eggshells around each other the rest of the day. They'd ordered Italian food for dinner and kept up with the small talk and safe subjects if they did speak, otherwise there was a lot of slightly awkward silence. They hadn't kissed again since the patio, but she did rest her hand on his back when they were looking for plates and utensils in the kitchen once the food arrived and there were a few other moments when she was close to him and touched him almost innocently, and he noticed she could have very well chosen not to do it as well. _Maybe the kiss really was just a way to say thanks for caring enough to come back when she was shot._

He decided to challenge her to a game of pool before they headed up for bed as something to do besides just sitting around feeling awkward. He tried not to stare when she would lean over a bit farther for some really hard to reach shots. She caught him a couple times though and would give him a playful scolding look. At least there was some playful banter back and forth as they taunted each other during the game which made him feel a bit more at ease. He'd caught her looking at him oddly a couple times throughout the evening, both before and during the game, biting on her lower lip nervously, but as soon as she noticed he was looking at her, she'd change her expression and smile at him instead. For some reason his earlier bravado to ask her what was going on seemed to have vanished. Maybe a part of him was holding on to the hope that finding out he'd come back for her when she was shot would magically change things and he didn't want to dash that hope yet.

They were about finished with their game and he noticed she was fidgeting with the ring that she had left on from earlier in the day. He finally sunk his last ball to win the game, much to her chagrin, and took the pool cues over to hang them back up. When he walked back over by her, he reached for her left hand and held it up so he could look at the ring again. She seemed to stiffen up slightly when he took her hand, which worried him a bit. He gently massaged the tops of her fingers with his thumb as they stood there, and she seemed to relax again.

"I was just trying to have some fun this afternoon." He said as he looked back and forth between the ring and her eyes. "If you don't want to go along with the fiancé story, that's fine too. I don't want you to feel like you have to do that just because I bought the ring." His smile became a bit sheepish, "I honestly didn't think they'd have a ring to fit your tiny little finger, but I guess fate had its own plan."

She shook her head before she replied. "No it's probably good for the cover story. We can go with it."

"Okay." He replied, still sensing something seemed a bit off with her. "Why don't you sleep on it and decide in the morning. I'll still donate it to whatever charity you choose even if you don't end up wearing it for the case." She gave him a little nod. "Or if you want to wait, we can do some grand proposal scene later. Maybe at one of our fake dinner parties, I could make some big show of proposing to you there."

"I'll think about it and let you know." She replied back, with a small smile on her face. "I guess we should head up to bed then."

She pulled her hand out of his and headed up to the master bedroom. Logan let out a frustrated sigh. _How'd we go from being close this afternoon to being almost stand-offish again now?_

He made sure all the doors downstairs were locked and flipped on the security system before he headed up the stairs. Given the house was very expensive and frequently rented by celebrities, it came with a fairly impressive security system as well.

He headed up to the bedroom and found her standing by the bed staring into her open suit case. _There's obviously something still bothering her that she hasn't told me yet but I'm not sure how to get her to open up to me about it either. Just asking directly doesn't always work with her. Maybe she's feeling too much pressure about all of this._

"Hey, you know I was only kidding earlier about the cleaning staff finding you sleeping in another bed. They shouldn't actually come in that early, so it's okay if you'd rather not share a bed with me. Maggie said they always come in the late afternoons so they don't disturb the guests."

She turned and gave him a puzzled look. "Oh…" she paused before she continued. "… Would you prefer that?"

_No of course I wouldn't prefer that._ "I just want you to be comfortable here too, Veronica." Logan watched her for a moment then took a deep breath before he spoke again. _Just ask her._ "You still seem like something is bothering you and I don't know what it is, but I wish you'd tell me. I thought our talk this afternoon would help, but you still seem distant and troubled about something."

"It's just…" She paused and took a deep breath. She shook her head. "Which set of the dressers would you prefer? I was going to unpack my things and wasn't sure where I should put them." _And we're back to deflecting serious topics again I see._

Logan took a step closer and reached for her hand. "Can you please just talk to me?" She looked intently in his eyes, but didn't say anything at all. _Desperate times call for desperate measures_… He leaned down and kissed her again. He moved his hand up to her head and pulled her a bit closer as he kissed her. She kissed him back for a moment, letting it be a deeper kiss than out on the patio. He stopped when he felt her hand press lightly on his chest.

She shook her head and looked at him sadly. "Logan…" she hesitated again.

"What?" he asked softly when she didn't continue. "Please Veronica, please talk to me."

"Do you still love her?" She asked softly as she stared into his eyes. _Of course we're back to Gabriela aren't we?_

"Veronica, I told you, she's happily married to Alex. There's nothing going on between the two of us."

Veronica shook her head. "That's not an answer to the question I asked you." She sighed and then continued. "Logan… her reaction at the party… her reaction at your hospital room _years_ after you supposedly broke up… You can't convince me that she doesn't still love you… I also saw your reactions too. You were completely frozen in place when we ran into her in the elevator. I had to drag you on and off the elevator because you wouldn't move. At the party… the moment she appeared you removed your hand from my back… I saw you with her out on the patio." She paused and took a deep breath before she spoke again. "I'm not blind or stupid Logan. I think you're still in love with her, regardless of whether she married someone a few months after your accident." She bit her lip for a moment and then started again. "And the way you looked at the baby…"

Logan closed his eyes. _Of course if anyone would pick up on everything it would be Veronica._ Logan opened his eyes again, then sat down on the bed and put his elbows on his knees and put his head in his hands running his hands through his hair. He let out a deep sigh. He was surprised when he felt her sit down on the bed next to him, and run her hand across his shoulders. He slowly shook his head, but kept his gaze staring down at the floor. "I did love her, but not enough." He paused a moment. "And that really was years ago. We did break up when I told you we did, but I guess we both still have some feelings for each other. But it was never enough for us to stay together."

He heard her take a deep breath. He was still looking at the floor and not at her. "And the baby?"

He closed his eyes tightly again. _She's probably going to hate me all over again if I tell her the truth, but look at what keeping things from her cost me before._ He let out a deep sigh. "I don't know." She must have been holding her breath and he heard her exhale a deep breath somewhat shakily. His eyes were still closed and he felt her get up and move away from him. _Fuck._

He fell back on the bed and covered his head with his arms. He didn't want to look to see if she'd left, or if she was standing there with that same angry look he'd already seen earlier today. He couldn't hear her at all in the room though, so assumed she'd left. He laid there for several minutes and then finally removed his arms. He didn't see her in the bedroom, or the bathroom so decided he should go and look for her. He wasn't sure what he was going to say, but he also didn't want to just avoid her either.

He found her standing near the French doors in the living room staring out at the moonlit ocean. He walked over and leaned against the door too, afraid to try to touch her, so he kept his distance and tipped his head down rather than looking directly at her. They stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"I'm sorry," he finally said softly as he tipped his head up slightly in her direction.

She shook her head. "You don't have to apologize for something that happened long after we were broken up Logan."

He took a deep shaky breath. _Go big or go home_…. "It's just… I would give anything for another chance with you Veronica… Who knows whether there was ever any chance of that happening, but right now I feel like… I feel like I've screwed up any small possibility that there may have been."

She turned her gaze from the window to look at him. Her expression seemed to be slightly surprised by what he'd just said. "Logan… I..." she paused and took a deep breath again. "I don't think either of us are the same people we used to be. How can you say something like that when you don't really even know me anymore?"

His lips turned up in the smallest of smiles and he reached out and gently cupped her cheek. "Because I can still see the same determined, brilliant, passionate woman that I used to love every time I'm around you."

She shook her head again and looked at him sadly. "I'm also more jaded and cynical than I used to be."

He gently stroked her cheek with his thumb. "Why? What happened to you Veronica?" _Why are you so afraid to just talk to me?_

She slowly shook her head again and leaned into his chest and wrapped her arms around his waist. He wrapped his arms around her and gently squeezed her. He tipped his head and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "You can talk to me Veronica. I really do want to know."

He felt her take a shaky breath against him. "Not tonight, okay?" she said softly.

He nodded. "Sure, whenever you're ready. Know that I'm here to listen, okay?" He felt her nod against his chest. He picked his head up and softly kissed the top of her head.

She finally took a deep breath and leaned away from him so she could look up at his face. "I don't want to send you mixed signals, and I know this situation is totally messed up for that." She let out a soft huff of air at the ridiculousness of it all. "I'm glad we talked about things earlier, but I..." She bit on her lip and gave him a worried look.

_Nothing good ever follows conversations that start like that._ He gave her a small smile and ran his thumb across her cheek. "Hey it's okay. There's no rush to figure out everything all at once, right? Let's just take things slow and get to know each other again."

Her lips turned up in a very small smile and she nodded. "You're right. We can just take our time to figure things out and get to know each other again." The small smile warmed his heart and filled him with just enough hope to keep all of his doubts and worries from overwhelming him again. He was so relieved that she wanted to get to know each other again too.

He nodded, and leaned down and kissed her forehead. "Ready to go to bed?"

She nodded and stepped away from him, removing her arms from his waist. He immediately felt his heart ache from the loss of contact. Neither of them said anything as they walked back up to the bedroom. He let her lead the way and he followed right behind her. He finally spoke up when they got into the room. "It really is fine if you want to sleep in one of the other bedrooms, Veronica."

"Do you want me to?" She asked a bit tentatively.

He gave her a small smile. "No, I really don't, but it's your decision to make not mine."

She gave him a small smile. "I'd actually like to stay." Her smile grew a bit larger and became a bit mischievous, "This is the nicest bed in the house after all. It hardly seems fair that you would get to use it all by yourself." He nodded and couldn't help letting a little smirk cross his face.

Twenty minutes later they had both finally changed and climbed into bed. He gave her a warm smile before he said good night. She said good night back, and he flipped off the lights and laid on his back staring at the ceiling. She scooted over to him and rested her head on his chest and wrapped an arm around his waist. He let out a deep sigh and wrapped his arm around her and kissed her softly on the head.

She was quiet for a while and then finally spoke in a low quiet voice. "So you don't know if the baby's yours but she could be?"

_Warts and all_… He swallowed the lump that he suddenly felt forming in his throat. He answered barely above a whisper. "Yeah, there's a slim chance she could be mine, but Gabriela insisted she's not, and wouldn't let me have a test done." He paused a moment. _I'd better explain so she doesn't jump to more conclusions. _"She came to see me when I first came home from the hospital and we just got swept away in the moment. She hadn't accepted Alex's proposal yet. I didn't even know they were that serious. I knew they'd been dating, but I wasn't sure how serious they were. I know that's not a very good excuse. I guess a near death experience makes you do irrational things sometimes." He let out a frustrated sigh, bracing for her reaction. He was expecting her to retreat to the other side of the bed, or just get up and leave again. But she didn't.

"But you did want to know? You said she told you that you couldn't find out?" She asked after a few minutes.

He nodded slowly before answering. "Yeah, I did want to know. She didn't want to hurt Alex so refused to let me find out. I just…" He hesitated not knowing quite how to say what he was feeling.

"You what?" She asked gently. She ran her hand soothingly across his chest. "You can tell me, it's fine."

"If she is mine, I didn't want her to find out later and think that I didn't want to be involved in her life." He took a shaky breath. "You of all people know how buried secrets have a way of resurfacing. If she is mine, there are a million reasons I'm sure that at some point it could come out that Alex isn't her dad. I just wouldn't want her to think I abandoned her. But she may not even be mine either. It kills me that I may never know though."

Veronica was silent for a few minutes, and he started to worry about what he'd just said. "You know, it only takes a strand of hair to do a DNA test. Alex and Gabriela wouldn't have to know if you just checked yourself."

He let out a relieved sigh. _I thought she was quiet because she was mad about what I'd said, but instead she must have been debating about whether to help me find out._ "I'll keep that in mind. I was hoping with time, maybe Gabriela would agree to let me find out. But your way sounds like a good option too." He squeezed her a little tighter and kissed the top of her head. "Thanks Veronica."

She leaned up so she could look at his face. There wasn't a lot of light coming in to the bedroom, but there were some sky lights and it was a full moon, so there was a small amount of moonlight keeping the room from being pitch black. She scooted up so her head was closer to his. "Just one kiss goodnight?" she asked in an almost breathless voice.

He nodded his head, not actually able to form any words. She was so beautiful and the way the moonlight lit up her face and the soft expression he saw staring back at him took his breath away. She leaned in and pressed her lips to his. It was a little deeper than their kisses earlier on the patio, but not overly passionate either. She finally pulled away, but kept her forehead resting against his. "Good night, _Billy_ _Deimos_," she said in a playful tone.

He smiled back and kissed her one more time quickly on the lips. "Good night, _Lindsey_ _Evans_."

She smiled back at him and then scooted back down so her head was resting on his chest again. He laid there listening to her breathing until he felt her finally drift off to sleep. He gently kissed her head one more time, before finally letting himself drift off to sleep too.


	22. Chapter 22

_**A/N – I hope you all like this chapter. I know there are still issues they need to deal with, and I promise they aren't done with those, but wanted them to have some happy time too. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I'd love to know what you all think of this chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 22

Logan woke up in the morning sprawled out on his stomach. His face was buried in a luxuriously soft pillow. It took him a moment to remember exactly where he was and who he was there with. At first he was sort of just in a groggy half-awake fog. Then he started to notice the feel of another body pressed against his. His leg was draped over someone else's leg, and his fingers were tangled in soft locks of hair. Her other leg was wrapped over the top of his. His heart beat sped up as his brain fully assessed the situation. _Veronica._ He could feel warm puffs of air hitting his cheek as she took long steady breaths. Then his heart rate sped up even more when he realized her hand was firmly resting on his ass. He slowly turned his head so he could look at her better, hoping to not disturb her at least for a few minutes so he could just enjoy the feeling of being there so close to her for a little while longer. Turning his head must have caused his bicep to flex slightly though and his arm was lying on top of her arm that was stretched down to his ass. After a few seconds she sleepily opened her eyes half way, her luminous blue eyes staring into his warm hazel ones. He absolutely could not help himself, quickly closing the few inches that separated them and pressed his mouth against hers. His fingers gently massaged her head as he kissed her. He felt her hand slowly move up his body until she reached his cheek. It wasn't a messy, greedy sort of kiss, but more of a deliberate, slow, longing type of kiss. He finally broke away and gave her a crooked half smile. "Good morning," he said in a sleepy, dreamy sort of way.

She blinked a couple times, her hand still on his cheek and then finally said good morning back, the shy smile that he always loved seeing was forming on her lips.

"Just so you know," Logan continued in a playful tone, "I'd say that waking up to your hand on my ass was a bit of a mixed signal. At least my hand found a much more appropriate place to roam to during the night." He wiggled his fingers that were still tangled in her hair to clearly prove his point. He smiled as her face turned almost the same shade of red as the day before when he had dropped to his knee by the beach.

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered trying to sound and look innocent. "It's clearly not there now," she added as she patted his cheek gently.

"Right..." he replied with a smirk. "You know… making you blush is one of my favorite things to do," he added as he moved his fingers from her hair to lightly trace her rosy cheek.

She rolled her eyes and slowly shook her head. "Again, no idea what you're talking about."

Their playful banter was interrupted by the sound of Veronica's cell phone ringing. He noticed it was a different ring tone than when Mac had called. She quickly rolled away from him so she could grab it, and then climbed out of bed as she answered and walked into the bathroom closing the door behind her.

Logan buried his face into the pillow again, waiting for her to return. Unfortunately he knew it wouldn't be back in the same comfortably close position they had just been in when she did. After about 5 minutes she finally opened the door again. He rolled slightly onto his side so he could see her.

"So I need to go back to LA today for a meeting for work. I wasn't sure if you'd rather stay here or come back with me. I feel bad stranding you here without a car though."

Logan smiled and shook his head. "No problem. You shouldn't underestimate my survival skills."

She laughed. "You mean your ability to use your wealth to get what you need?" She at least said it in a teasing way, rather than sounding annoyed.

"Precisely," he said with a smile. She shook her head and started retrieving some clothes to change into and then disappeared into the bathroom again. He heard the shower start a few minutes later.

He buried his head in the pillow again. He was disappointed that they weren't going to get to go car shopping together, but he also didn't want to wait much longer to get a car. _At least she can't veto my choice if she's not there._ Not that he actually thought she'd feel like she had a right to do that given they were just pretending to be a couple. …_For now at least._

She came back out a few minutes later dressed but with her hair still wet. "I need to get going in case traffic is bad," she announced as she found her shoes. She was dressed in a blouse and slacks again, similar to how she'd been dressed the first night he saw her at the bar.

"When do you think you'll be back?" Logan asked as he tipped his head up to look at her.

She gave him an uncertain look and shrugged. "I'm not sure if I'll make it back today, but I can call or text you later."

"Okay." He said as he buried his face back into the pillow. He didn't want her to notice that he was disappointed that she might not be back later.

He heard her walk closer to the bed, and then felt her hand ruffle his hair. "Stay out of trouble and don't give the car salesman too bad of a time."

He laughed softly into the pillow then heard her walking out and down the hall.

He'd called a Maserati dealership after he'd showered and asked if they could send someone to pick him up so he could come in and arrange a lease. They were more than happy to oblige and an hour later he was driving off the lot in a dark blue Granturismo Convertible. After he picked up the car, he decided he'd go grocery shopping since they hadn't gotten around to that the day before and there wasn't really anything at the rental besides a few staples and left over Italian food.

Once he put all the groceries away, he made himself a sandwich and decided to eat out on the patio while he enjoyed the ocean view. He took his sandwich out to a side table next to a large lounge chair and realized he forgot his ice tea inside so went back in to retrieve it. When he walked back out through the French doors he spotted something furry and black and white grabbing half his sandwich from the table.

"Archie!" A woman's voice cut through the air. "Oh my... Bad dog... I'm so sorry," a woman with wavy strawberry blonde hair and a decisively Irish accent was muttering as she reached for the dog's collar.

Logan laughed as he looked at the furry little thief. "It's fine. Don't worry about it. You just couldn't help yourself could you buddy." He reached down and patted the happy dog on the head.

"I didn't realize the house was rented out." The woman continued with an apologetic look on her face. "I'm Bryn. I'm staying next door." She pointed in the direction of where the realtor had said Connor lived.

"Oh, I thought the realtor said that house is owned by Connor Larkin."

Bryn gave him a coy little smile and nodded. "It is. I'm actually his girlfriend." She paused and then lowered her voice a little. "But don't share that with the paparazzi."

Logan grinned at her. "Your secret's safe with me." _I know exactly how you feel._ "The realtor also said Connor was out of town?"

Bryn had put Archie's leash back on and pulled him farther away from Logan's lunch. "Yeah, he's filming a series up in Vancouver. He flies back when he gets a long enough break to stay for a few days. I'm doing some projects down here so can't be up there with him right now."

"Are you an actor too?" Logan asked as he took a seat on the lounge chair. He gestured to another chair for Bryn.

She gave him a curious smile before she sat down. "Yes, but apparently not a very well known one."

He gave her an apologetic smile. "I've been living down in Brazil for awhile and I'm afraid I haven't paid much attention to what's been going on with US cinema."

She laughed softly. "It's fine." She looked at him thoughtfully and a look of recognition flashed across her face. "You're a race car driver right?"

Logan suddenly felt a wave of panic wash over him, but tried not to let it show. He nodded his head. "Yeah, Billy Deimos."

Bryn nodded. "I thought you looked familiar. We meet about two years ago."

_Fuck_. Logan grimaced for a moment. There were a few weeks after his failed attempt to see Veronica in LA that he spiraled out of control a little bit. He had done really badly in his first race back, downed too much scotch and then went to the after party to find someone to take his mind off of everything. He was positive the woman had much darker red hair though, but he remembered being relieved that the Irish accent reminded him of neither Gabriela nor Veronica.

Bryn must have understood the look. "We were briefly introduced before you disappeared for the rest of the night with my friend Aislinn." She gave him a sly smile before she continued, apparently noticing his concerned expression. "Don't worry. I'm not one to judge."

_Right, Aislinn with the amazing ass. Did I seriously use that as a pickup line?_ That night was pretty much a blur and it wasn't just the fact that it was almost two years ago. He remembered her kissing him goodbye in the morning, thanking him for a great time and telling him that she left her number for him if he wanted to call her later. He of course never did.

"Could you maybe not mention that story if you meet my girlfriend? I'm afraid she's not as non-judgmental sometimes," Logan asked with a sheepish look on his face.

Bryn smiled back and gave him a little wink. "Your secret's safe with me."

Archie had edged back closer to Logan's lunch, but was just sitting and staring at it while he wagged his tail. "Did you two want to join me for lunch?" Logan asked looking at the dog, "I can go make a couple more sandwiches."

Bryn shook her head, "That's very kind of you, but we've already had lunch. Archie's just a sucker for food all the time though."

Logan talked her into a glass of ice tea, and brought back out some chips and fresh salsa that he'd picked up at the store. As they talked, he would break off little pieces of his sandwich and sneak them to the ever eager Archie. They talked about what it was like for him living in Brazil and some of the places he'd visited there, while she shared stories of growing up in Ireland. Logan had completely lost track of time when he heard the front door open and close.

"Hey Lindsey, we're out here on the patio!" He yelled toward the house, trying to warn her that they weren't alone so she didn't call out his real name.

A moment later, Veronica walked out onto the patio with a somewhat surprised look on her face. She walked over towards the two of them and stopped by Logan, placing a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Lindsey, this is our neighbor, Bryn…" He looked at Bryn realizing he didn't know her last name.

"Delaney," both women said at the same time. Logan raised an eyebrow at Veronica and gave her a curious look.

Veronica seemed surprised by his reaction and shrugged, "She's been in quite a few recent movies, so of course I know who she is."

Bryn laughed, "Thanks for rebuilding my confidence since Billy here had no idea who I was. It's nice to meet you."

"This is my girlfriend Lindsey Evans," Logan continued realizing he hadn't done a very good job of actually introducing Veronica.

"It's fiancé actually, but he still hasn't gotten used to introducing me that way yet." Veronica said with a sweet smile on her face as she reached around from behind him and rested her head on his shoulder and gave him a small squeeze. Logan glanced down and realized she was wearing the ring from the day before again. He looked back up at her and gave her a warm smile and nodded.

Veronica must have finally noticed Archie curled up at end of Logan's lounge chair. She walked over to pet him. "And who's this furry little guy?"

"This is Archie the sandwich thief." Logan explained.

Veronica smiled at Logan and then scratched the dog behind the ears as his head perked up at the sound of his name. "Tibetan Terrier, right?" she asked as she glanced over at Bryn who nodded in reply. Logan gave her a look of disbelief. "What?" she said in response to his look, "You know I love dogs." He smiled and nodded. He remembered her having a big dog encyclopedia that she would bring over to Lilly's sometimes when he first moved to town and she'd share endless facts about all the dog breeds with all of them.

Logan noticed Bryn seemed to be really studying Veronica a bit more. _I wonder what that's about._ Logan moved one of his legs slightly so Veronica could sit down by him on the lounge chair as she continued to pet Archie. Archie had happily shifted so she could more easily scratch his belly. Logan sat up a bit more too so he could wrap his arms around her waist and placed a kiss on her neck.

"You look familiar," Bryn finally said still looking curiously at Veronica. "Billy said you're a photographer right?" Veronica nodded. "I think I remember you doing a photo shoot with an actor I was dating a little over a year ago, Peter Daly?"

"Oh right," Veronica replied with a small grin, turning her body back toward Bryn and Logan a bit more. "How is Peter these days?"

Bryn scoffed a little before she answered. 'He's actually in prison now. So we haven't exactly kept in touch."

Logan raised his eyebrow slightly, but tried not to look too suspicious about it. _I'm guessing Veronica already knew how dear Peter was doing and is probably the reason he's behind bars_

"Wow," Veronica said with what Logan recognized as being her fake surprised voice.

"So how was your meeting at the magazine?" Logan asked, thinking it might be better to change topics.

Veronica's lips turned up in a bigger smile before she replied, 'It went pretty well."

"Well I'm glad you made it back out here today." He leaned up and placed a kiss on her lips.

"I tried to call to see if you needed me to pick up anything, but you didn't answer." Veronica added giving him a questioning look.

Logan patted at his pockets and realized he'd left his phone inside. "Oh, my phone must be in the kitchen. Sorry that I didn't hear it ring, honey." He gave her another quick kiss and an apologetic look.

Bryn shifted in her chair. "I should probably get out of your hair. I've been talking your fiancé's ear off all afternoon. It's just so bloody lonely over at our place with Connor gone and Archie isn't the best conversationalist."

"No," both Logan and Veronica said at the same time. Logan gestured for Veronica to continue. "No, it's fine, you should stay. We could order dinner or something. I'd hate for you to run off on my account." Veronica said with a warm smile on her face. Logan gave her a curious look. He knew why he wanted Bryn to stay, so he could have more Lindsey time without having to worry about the issues of their real life, but he was surprised that Veronica wanted her to stay too.

"Well if you're sure. But if you already have plans though, I'd hate to get in your way." Bryn replied with a slightly concerned expression on her face.

"No really, it's fine." Veronica said with a big grin on her face. "It will be great to get to know one of our neighbors. Any recommendations on good places to get take out from?"

"Actually," Logan cut in. "I did buy some steaks at the store today that I could grill up. That is if you eat meat?" Logan gave Bryn a concerned look, hoping he didn't offend her if she was a vegetarian or vegan.

Bryn beamed back and chuckled, "Oh no, I'm definitely a carnivore. But you've been so kind entertaining me this afternoon. You really don't need to feed me dinner on top of that."

"Before Billy and I got together, I spent quite a bit of time on my own, so I know how lonely that can be. You really should stay." Veronica said as she gave Logan a quick glance then looked back at Bryn. "I'm just going to go up and change into something more comfortable and maybe we can take Archie for a walk on the beach and then help Billy with the food."

Bryn nodded and Veronica stood up, stopping to give Logan a quick kiss on the lips before she headed back into the house. He couldn't help but think of her comment after she left and wondered yet again about what had happened in her life since he'd been gone. Archie seemed annoyed that his belly-scratcher had left, and so started pawing at Logan's leg to get his attention instead. Logan laughed and sat up so he could scratch Archie's belly for a few minutes. "You're quite the little scamp aren't you?" he asked with a chuckle.

Once Veronica returned in jeans, t-shirt and a light hoodie, they all headed down to the beach. Bryn had a small ball in the pocket of her jacket and took it out to throw for Archie. The three of them took turns throwing it for him as they walked along the beach. Logan and Veronica started out just holding hands as they walked together. He stopped her a few times and pulled her closer for a few kisses. He wasn't even sure if Bryn was actually paying attention to them, but that didn't stop him from putting on an excellent show of being the completely devoted fiancé. He also loved seeing glimpses of how Veronica had been the summer before college when they had spent a lot of time on the beach playing with Backup. She had a certain sparkle in her eyes when Archie would run up to her wagging his tail and drop the ball for her to throw.

Bryn had walked a little bit ahead from them to help Archie find the ball when it got lost in some tall grass. "Hey, maybe we should get our own dog," Logan commented as he pulled Veronica up against his chest and smiled down at her.

She gave him a slightly stern look and shook her head. "I think I'm going to have to put my foot down on that one! And by the way, nice car." She gave him a knowing little smile. "Did I miss any other theatrics at the car dealership?"

He shook his head, "Nah, it's not as much fun without an audience." He studied her carefully for a moment. "Why no on a dog though? Archie's a lot of fun and you love dogs."

She shook her head again, "Dog's are a lot of work and we both have _'jobs'_ that take up a lot of our time. I'm sure you can borrow Archie whenever you'd like if you ask nicely." She glanced over her shoulder and saw that Bryn was still a bit away from them. She narrowed her eyes slightly at Logan, but had a playful smile on her lips. "And did you lure her over just so we could put on our Billy and Lindsey show?"

Logan smirked back at her, "As much as I'm enjoying this…," he waggled his eyebrows and pulled her body even tighter up against his, "…they really did just appear on our patio when Archie ran up to steal my lunch." He glanced over toward Bryn as well, "I noticed you weren't eager to send her away either." He looked at her a bit suggestively and then moved his mouth down to her ear, "I'm thinking you're enjoying this just as much as I am." He placed a kiss right below her ear and felt her arch a little more against his body. He ran his hands up her back and tangled his fingers into her hair, moving his mouth back to hers and placing a kiss there as well. He could see Bryn heading back their direction now as he pulled his lips away from hers. Veronica had a slightly dreamy breathless expression on her face which he absolutely loved. He also loved that she didn't try to deny that she was enjoying their time together either.

Their moment was quickly interrupted when Archie ran up to them and jumped up on Veronica's legs, wagging his tail and dropping the ball by their feet. Veronica smiled slyly at Logan for a moment, before moving away so she could reach down and throw the ball for Archie again. As she tossed the ball, she glanced back at him and shook her head with a big smile on her face and an undeniable sparkle in her eyes.


	23. Chapter 23

_**A/N – This is the longest chapter yet for this story and one I'm guessing may be the most favorite so far. I know there will still be more questions, but we'll eventually get more answers.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I'd love to know what you all think of this chapter. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 23

The three of them spent almost an hour walking along the beach, playing with Archie and enjoying the afternoon. They finally seemed to tire Archie out, since he stopped bringing the ball back to them to throw and instead tried to evade them from taking it from him. They decided to head back up to the house and Logan found a large bowl to fill with water for Archie to drink from out on the patio.

Veronica and Bryn seemed to hit it off, and were happily chatting as they all went toward the kitchen to get dinner ready. Veronica opened the refrigerator and must have been impressed with Logan's shopping choices and gave him an approving smile. He gestured toward the freezer, so she looked in there too and her face lit up when she saw several containers of her favorite ice cream. Well at least Logan had hoped it was still her favorite, but given the expression on her face, he thought he did all right. He'd bought some new bottles of wine and opened one and poured a glass for everyone. He took the steaks out to the grill outside, stopping to give Veronica a kiss on his way by. When Logan came back in with the finished steaks, Veronica and Bryn were talking about the latest movie she was working on and several of the other actors that were in it with her and what they were like.

They got everything spread out on the table, and finally sat down to eat. Archie had been allowed to come in the house too and had eagerly been watching them all preparing things in the kitchen and sat near them when they all took seats at the dining room table. Logan had snuck him a few little treats when no one else was looking, so he took a spot closest to his chair. Bryn took a bite of her steak and let out a loud 'mmmm' sound. "Wow, this is delicious." She said after she swallowed it. "You're so lucky your fella can cook." She said with a smile to Veronica. "Connor tried to grill steaks once and they ended up like shoe leather covered in charcoal."

Logan chuckled, not surprised that pampered Connor wouldn't be able to grill steaks. "Well to be fair, the cut of steak really makes a big difference too as well as having it at the right temperatures for the right amount of time." Veronica gave him a surprised look, right before she took her own bite of steak. Logan wished he'd had his phone handy to snap a picture of her expression. He of course remembered the look she'd make every time she was in pure ecstasy, and he'd say tasting that steak was a very close second to the face he'd seen in real life many times as well as in his dreams. He couldn't help but smirk at her and suggestively raise one eyebrow.

She must have known what he was thinking and shrugged, changing her expression to one of mild appreciation. "It's pretty good."

"Well if it's just _'pretty good'_, maybe I should just give it to Archie instead." He started to reach for her plate and she immediately grabbed his wrist.

"Okay, you win." She said with a playful little pout. "You're steak is absolutely delicious."

"Thank you my dear," he gave her a little smile, then reached his hand up to her head so he could pull her close for a quick kiss.

When they were finished eating Bryn insisted on helping them with the dishes before she left. Logan was impressed that even if she was a famous actress she was still extremely humble and personable. He'd met way too many selfish and conceited actresses back when his parents were both still alive. Once they were finished she said she really should get home since she was supposed to Skype with Connor that evening. Logan offered to drive her home since it was dark and he didn't like the idea of her walking home alone even if it was a private beach.

"Thanks for the offer, but Archie will need a short walk anyway since he's been in all through dinner." Bryn replied to his offer.

"Why don't we walk you home then," Veronica offered. Logan wondered if she had the same concern he did.

Bryn took her up on the offer and so the three of them headed back down to the beach and then toward Connor's house. It had gotten chilly again and Veronica was still just wearing a light hoodie, so Logan could feel her shiver a bit as they walked with his arm wrapped around her. Once they reached Connor's property, Bryn thanked them for a wonderful time. Logan and Veronica both gave Archie a quick scratch behind his ears before he and Bryn headed up to their house.

Logan wrapped his arms around Veronica from behind, resting his chin on the top of her head, as they watched to make sure Bryn made it in safely. His mind had been consumed by his internal struggle between what he'd said the day before about taking things slow and his increasing desire to speed things up as they had walked along the beach. It was certainly getting harder to just play the role and then turn it off. He really didn't want to turn off what they'd been building on all afternoon.

Once the door closed, he ducked his head lower toward her ear. "You know, I have a great idea of how to warm you up." He said it in a sensuous voice, with his lips barely brushing against the shell of her ear. He felt her take a shuddering breath. _Apparently she knows how to get warm too. _He let his lips gently graze her skin as he moved his head lower toward her collar bone. He could feel her breath quicken and she tipped her head slightly so he would have better access to her neck. She took a deep long breath as he sucked lightly on the base of her neck.

She let out a breathy little sigh. "I'm feeling warmer already," she said in a low sultry tone.

He smiled against her neck and then spun her around so he could kiss her on the lips.

She kissed him back for a few seconds then pulled away slightly. "Come on we should go back to the house," she replied a bit breathlessly as she gazed into his eyes.

Their foreheads were practically touching and he shook his head gently. "And pass up a romantic moonlit opportunity with you on the beach? Not a chance." He had already wrapped his arms around her, and squeezed her a little tighter as he spoke. One of his arms was low around her waist and the other was higher around her back. "I have many fond memories of our time together on the beach in the moonlight." He tipped his head and placed open mouthed kisses along her neck. She tilted her head again and let out a breathy moan. "I'm pretty sure you remember them all too." He said softly before moving to kiss her passionately on the lips again. He moved both hands up to cradle her head and gently tangled his fingers in her hair.

"Logan..." she said a bit breathlessly. "We really should go." She reached up with her hands to intertwine her fingers with his. She gave him a small smile, and then pulled his hands down, dropping one, but holding on to the other one as she started walking back to their house.

He let out a small sigh, but didn't stop her either. Another idea came to him as they walked up the steps to the patio. He stopped walking at the top of the steps and pulled her back toward him. "How about we try out the hot tub? That will surely warm you up, since you wouldn't go for my other idea on the beach."

She gave him an uncertain look and bit on her lower lip for a moment.

He couldn't help taunting her a little. "Unless you're worried that seeing me half naked and all wet is going to be too much for you to handle?" He raised his eyebrows in a suggestive leer as he asked the question.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. _I knew she wouldn't pass up a challenge like that. _He smiled and started pulling her back into the house. He grabbed a pair of swim shorts and went into the bathroom to change while she was looking through her clothes for hers. He gave her a broad smile and said he'd meet her down in the hot tub and headed down stairs. He grabbed another bottle of wine and two glasses and headed out to the hot tub getting it all ready for her to join him.

She came out a few minutes later wrapped in a towel, carrying an extra one for him. He was pouring the wine and glanced up at her and saw the extra towel. "Oh thanks, I forgo..." he completely broke off in the middle of the word when she dropped her towel on a chair and he saw the very small black bikini she was wearing. His mouth stayed open without any sound coming out.

She gave him a sly smile, "Did I break you?" She asked with a chuckle.

He closed his mouth and nodded, setting the wine bottle back down. She slowly climbed into the hot tub, apparently adjusting to the temperature of the water a little at a time, but Logan just saw it as a way to totally torture him. He took a deep breath and tried to pull his eyes away from her, but couldn't. "Remember what we said about mixed signals?" He finally said as she was about to sit all the way in the water. She laughed and nodded. "Well a one piece swimsuit that covered more skin would have really been more appropriate for not giving me the wrong idea."

She gave him an amused look as she slid all the way into the seat. The water hit her right above the top of her bikini top. She had her hair pulled up in a loose bun to keep it out of the water. He tilted his head and looked more closely at her chest, noticing for the first time the scar that was right below her left shoulder. The dresses she'd worn before covered that area, and he hadn't looked at her long enough when she came out of the bathroom in her bra and thong to notice it. "Is that where…" he trailed off gesturing toward her chest.

She looked down for a second then back up and nodded. He scooted over closer to her and gently traced it with his fingertips. "I'm so sorry I didn't…" he sighed and looked at her sadly. _Didn't come back sooner… didn't fight to see you… didn't make sure you knew I cared…_

She reached up and put her hand on top of his and stroked her thumb across his fingers. "I know..." She gave him a small smile.

He leaned down and kissed her scar gently. She sighed softly, so he kept placing kisses up her neck all the way to right below her ear. She'd let go of his hand and moved her hand up into his hair. He moved his head so he could kiss her on the lips again, gently cupping her face with his hand. He slowly ran his thumb across her cheek as they continued to kiss.

After a couple minutes, she pulled back a little and tipped her head so her forehead was resting against his. "Logan…" she said in the tone that he knew meant he wasn't going to like what she was going to say next.

"Yeah?" He asked quietly, looking intently into her eyes.

"This is a bad idea," she said with a bit of regret in her voice.

"I have to disagree," he replied confidently. "I think this is a fabulous idea." His hand was still on her cheek and he stroked his thumb slowly across her cheek. She shook her head and bit nervously on her lip. He sighed softly and gave her a small smile. "Okay, tell me why you think it's a bad idea."

"My life is just too complicated for us to get involved in anything serious."

He gave her an uncertain look. "What makes you say that?"

"I just know it wouldn't work, okay?" She said with a frustrated look on her face. "And you and I… we can't do… we'd end up trying to make it serious… there's too much history for it not to be… and then it wouldn't work and we'd… I'd rather keep you back in my life as a friend than to lose you forever again... I can't lose you completely again..." She let out a shaky breath and shook her head and started to get up out of the hot tub.

He gently grabbed her wrist, "No, I'm not letting you run off, okay. Stay and talk to me." He didn't let go and she stood there for a moment. "Running isn't going to help. Trust me, I know." She sighed and finally sat back down. He thought she seemed like she was on the verge of tears. "Hey it's okay," he pulled her close to his side and wrapped his arm around her, "Just talk to me, Veronica."

She took a deep breath but didn't say anything. He repositioned his body so he could look at her face. He brushed a few loose strands that had fallen into her face behind her ear. "You told me before you were more jaded and cynical than before. Please tell me what happened to you Veronica. I told you all about me and Gabriela."

She bit on her lip and looked at him cautiously. "You didn't really tell me why it didn't work out between the two of you."

_I hope I don't regret being completely honest, but at this point, that's the only thing I can think of to get her to finally trust me enough to open up to me too. _Logan gave her a somber smile. "That's pretty simple really. It didn't work out between us because I was still hopelessly in love with you."

She gave him a confused look and shook her head. "Logan, we'd been apart for what, over three years, how could that have been why it didn't work out between the two of you?"

He shrugged before he answered her. "I guess I was still holding on to the hope that eventually we'd find our way back to each other." He let out a small sigh. "And then there was this journalist that came to the track and reminded me so much of you…"

Veronica gasped and her eyes opened a little wider, "Victoria?"

Logan's smile vanished. _What the hell?_ He cocked his head inquisitively at her. "How did you know that?"

Veronica's expression became troubled. "I… I knew her… she was an FBI agent too…" She bit her lip again and looked at him with her brow more furrowed than before. "I worked with her during my internships. I… I knew she went to Sao Paulo for her case… but I didn't know… well I saw some of the surveillance photos, so I knew she'd talked to you but…"

Logan's eyes grew wide and he swallowed a lump that had formed in his throat and slowly moved slightly away from her. _How long did she know I was there? Did she know before Victoria? _He ran his hand nervously through his hair, and looked away from her.

"Were the pictures…" Logan paused and looked at her suspiciously, "…was that how you found out I was there racing?"

Veronica bit on her lip and slowly shook her head. Her expression had become regretfully sad. "No, I knew before that. You… you weren't really hard to keep track of…"

Logan took a deep shaky breath. _Of course she'd known all those years where I was and just never bothered to contact me. _He ran his hand over the back of his neck, squeezing the tense muscles and closing his eyes. _Wallace said she was happy. There was probably someone else, that's why she never tried to contact me until she needed me for this case. Is that why her life is complicated now and why it couldn't work. _He took a deep breath trying to calm down his emotions that were all over the place. He opened his eyes and looked at her again. "Is there someone else in your life now Veronica?" He watched her carefully to gauge her reaction to be sure she was being completely honest with him now.

Her eyes widen and she shook her head, "No… no… that's not why… no Logan." She swallowed and shook her head again. "Not now… I wouldn't… I wouldn't do that to you."

He nodded, but didn't know what to say. He moved to the far side of the hot tub and scooted down more, leaning his head back and closing his eyes.

_Does it matter now? She was just an intern then so she wouldn't have had anything to do with that agent being there._ With the jets on and his eyes closed he didn't know she'd moved over by him until she put her hand on his shoulder and caused him to flinch.

He opened his eyes again and looked at her. "I'm sorry if she... If I... I'm sorry if that's what came between you and Gabriela." She told him with an apologetic look on her face. He took a deep breath and shook his head. She looked at him sadly and continued. "I thought... I thought you never came back because you were happy there."

He reached up and took her hand in his and pulled it down in front of him. He tipped his head down to look at her hand as he ran his fingers along the top of hers. It reminded him of sitting across the table from her at Hearst when he'd given her his room key. _You know there's no one else. I only want you. You ought to know that by now._ He slowly brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it.

He tipped his head up slightly at her, somehow feeling almost the same as he did that day at Hearst. "I tried to be happy. But I guess a part of me wouldn't give up on you."

She gave him an inquisitive look. "Hopelessly?" She asked him, with her head tilted in that way that she would when she didn't quite believe something.

He sighed and nodded. Her expression became softer and her lips turned up slightly. She slowly moved closer to him and leaned in so she could kiss him. He was still holding on to her hand, and she moved it under the water, placing his hand on her hip, while she slowly moved to straddle his lap, never breaking the kiss. She reached up with her other hand and ran it down his other arm, placing his other hand on her other hip. She then moved both of her hands so they were holding his head as she continued to kiss him, deepening the kiss with every second that went by.

Logan couldn't focus on anything but the feel of her lips and tongue against his own. His hands didn't stay long on her hips either, slowly moving over the curve of her ass and down to her thighs, before following the same path back up and wrapping around her back and shoulders to pull her closer to his chest. At that moment, all the doubts and questions he had slipped away. He just wanted to bury himself in her and forget everything else. He knew he still didn't really have any answers about what had happened to her and if anything now there were more questions, but his mind was getting too clouded to think logically anymore. All he could focus on was how her body felt and what she was doing to him. He moved his lips down to the spot on her neck that he knew always drove her crazy. She moaned and arched up against him as he sucked lightly on the spot, her breasts rubbing up against his chest. She tangled her hands into his hair and pulled him firmly against her. As soon as he felt her arching against him, he really couldn't think about anything other than wanting to be with her again.

She moved her head so her mouth was right by his ear. "Can we just have tonight Logan?" Her voice was low and sultry. "Just not worry about anything else right now and deal with the rest later? I can't…" She hesitated and took a shaky breath. She moved his head with her hands so she could kiss him on the lips again. Arching up against him as she kissed him deeply, moving her hands from his head, down his neck along his shoulders. She pulled away leaving her forehead against his. She was starting to pant in short quick breaths. "Please Logan?"

He took in a deep breath and could barely think coherently at that point. "I warned you… all wet and half naked would be too much for…" He didn't get to finish the 'you' part of what he was going to say before her lips were crashing into his again. Her hips started rocking gently, pushing her body against his quickly growing erection. He knew there was no way he was going to be able to stop himself at that point, no matter how irrational what he was about to do might be. He really did want this to mean more to her than what he was afraid it might. Unfortunately that was part of the rational thought that he was quickly losing the capacity to continue to actually do. Her hot skin brushing up against his body and her soothing hands that were roaming up and down his back were all he could focus on and all he wanted to do was get lost in her.

She pulled away from his mouth and looked at him with a lustful smile on her kiss swollen lips. She reached up and pulled on the top strings of her bikini top causing it to fall down from her neck. Logan quickly found the strings that went around her back and pulled on those, tossing the material over the side of the hot tub on to the patio. His mouth started at her neck, but quickly made its way down to her breasts. He paused for a few seconds at her scar and placed several kisses there as well before he continued farther down. Her moans and gasps were barely audible over the hot tub jets, but he could feel every tremor her body made. His fingers roamed over every inch of her body, the body he'd missed more than he had even realized. _How the hell am I ever going to get over her now if she tries to push me away once her case is over?_ One of Veronica's hands reached down to stroke him through his shorts and the brief moment of clarity he had was once again wiped away. His thoughts quickly shifted to other more pressing matters. _Shit, do I have any condoms in my fucking suit case?_ He moaned against her skin and slid his hands down under her bikini bottoms pulling her urgently against him. They stayed in the hot tub kissing and touching each other for a while until she pushed slightly away and gave him a sultry gaze and pulled on his hand to get him out of the tub.

"Veronica…" he started to say as he climbed out behind her. She spun around and pressed her lips to his.

"Please don't…" she said in a breathy low voice as she pulled away slightly. "Don't over think this." She pressed her lips to his again and kissed him deeply.

He reached down and grabbed her thighs, pulling her up so he could carry her inside. He clumsily grabbed for one of the towels and wrapped it around her when he felt her shiver as the evening wind hit her wet hot skin. Given how small and light she was, he easily carried her that way up to the bedroom. The only other thing he could do besides concentrating on not tripping on the stairs, was to be completely consumed by the desire he felt having her legs wrapped around him while she kissed him passionately and her bare breasts rubbed against his naked chest as he made his way to the master suite. He tried to gently lay her down on the bed and take a step back, but with her legs locked around his waist, she pulled him right down on top of her.

She finally spoke again, panting breathlessly when she broke away from his lips. "Please tell me you have…" She didn't need to finish, as he nodded and reached toward his wallet that he'd left on the table by the bed. He'd remembered he had at least one condom in his wallet that had been there just in case he ended up at someone else's hotel room instead of his own. That never seemed to happen though so he was certain it was still there. She smiled happily and pulled him down on top of her again as he fumbled around with the wallet that he'd been able to at least grab before she greedily pulled his mouth against hers again.

She eventually tugged his wet shorts down as he helped her slide her bikini bottoms off as well. When he finally did push her over the edge, the expression she made was even more beautiful than he'd remembered. He was so exhausted by the time they were done, that he couldn't do anything but lay there and try to catch his breath. There were so many things he wanted to say, but a part of him was worried she wasn't ready to hear most of it given her reaction from earlier. He nuzzled his face into her hair and pulled her body tight against his. She whispered that she wanted to get a quick drink of water and that she'd be right back. She gave him a tender kiss on the mouth as she slowly climbed away. He rolled onto his back and covered his face with one of his arms still trying to recover. He was absolutely spent and felt himself drifting off to sleep even though he had still hoped to talk to her when she came back upstairs.


	24. Chapter 24

_**A/N – I'm going to be really nice and publish this chapter a day early. Normally I publish my other story on Friday, so instead of doing both on Friday (and worrying about a last edit for both on the same day), I thought I'd do this one on Thursday instead. I figured people would prefer that to one of them being later. I'll see what happens next week – no promise I'll do this every week. I was also thrilled with how many reviews I got in one day on the last chapter, so thought it would be a nice way to say thank you! (Also no promise that more reviews and/or begging will get other chapters out faster!)**_

_**I've told a few people in replies, but we are getting closer to finding out more about what happened with her (at least part of it). They'll talk about it in Chapter 26. The chapter after this will be them at the party for the magazine. I hope you enjoy the special guest this chapter.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I wish I had a way to reply to some of the anonymous guest reviews, but the system doesn't do that. If you have questions that you'd like answers to, I'd recommend setting up an account so you can get reply messages. (Of course there are lots of questions that you just have to wait for answers to as well!) **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 24

Logan woke up to sunlight coming through the sky lights and reflecting right toward the bed. _I need to see about some electronic blinds because this really sucks. _He squished his eyes closed tighter to block out the bright light. He blindly rolled over to wrap his arms around Veronica, thoughts of the prior night replaying in his mind. But then he remembered falling asleep when she went to get water and couldn't remember anything after that. He groggily opened his eyes, blinking from the light when he didn't feel her next to him, finding himself alone in the bed. _Did she even come back to bed after that?_ "Veronica?" He called out rubbing his eyes and sitting up.

She poked her head out the bathroom door. "Hey good morning," she said with a smile.

He immediately noticed she was already dressed and her hair was pulled back in a clip. "Whatch'a doin'?" He asked sleepily.

"Sorry, I've got to head back to LA for work." She walked over to the bed and sat down to put on her shoes. "I'll text you the address to my apartment and you can meet me there later to go to the party. We could go to dinner first if you'd like. I think there will only be beverages and hors d'oeuvres at the party. I can make dinner reservations some place for us. Why don't you pick me up at 6, okay?" She gave him a warm smile while she waited for his reply.

"Sure... I guess..." He rubbed his eyes again. _Why didn't she tell me last night she had to leave early today? I wonder if she's just running off to avoid talking to me._ He shook his head trying to wake up enough to talk to her.

"Oh, it's semi-formal so wear something nice. Okay?"

He nodded but was more focused on wanting to make her stay and talk to him instead of running off.

"Sorry, I really need to vamoose so I'm not late. The FBI has fairly strict rules about not being late for briefings." She stood up and headed toward the door. "See you tonight," she said as she turned back and flashed him a smile.

"Bye..."he mumbled and then flopped back on the bed covering his head with his arms. _Well now I know how some of my one night stands must have felt._

He rolled to his side and grabbed his phone to check the time. _6:30am?_ His brain was finally starting to wake up. He really didn't expect her to just be back to business as usual after last night. Some part of him foolishly didn't think she would have sex with him and then just turn right back to Agent Mars and her cover story. But that clearly seemed to be what was going on. She didn't even bother to give him a kiss good bye. He wasn't sure if he was mad at her for doing it, or mad at himself for thinking it would be different. Either way he wasn't happy at all. Surfing sounded like a good release at that point, so he sent off a quick text.

'_Get your ass out of bed and let's go catch some waves'_

He closed his eyes for a few minutes waiting for a reply. His phone finally chimed and he grinned slightly as he read the reply.

'_dude r u high? takes a f'n day 2 get 2 brazil'_

'_Lucky for you I'm in Cali. I'll be at your place in 20'_ Logan texted back and headed into the bathroom for a quick shower.

'_wtf?'_ came back a few moments later as he set his phone on the bathroom counter.

Logan took a quick shower, then threw some clothes on and headed down to his car. He noticed on his way through the house that the wine bottle and glasses from the night before were on the kitchen counter and that the hot tub lid was back in place and the towels and her bikini top were gone too. _I wonder how long she stayed down stairs before she finally came back up… if she even came back up._ He continued out to his car with a feeling of anxiety starting to build even more.

He pulled into a coffee kiosk that wasn't far from his house and picked up two coffees then headed towards Dick's place. He hadn't mentioned to Veronica that Dick also lived in Malibu now. _I suppose I should have mentioned that, but she didn't really ask. It's not like she's being completely honest with me about her life either._ He'd visited Dick briefly when he came up for Letty's funeral. He lived about 3 miles from the house he rented. Dick's place was a little smaller than the house he was renting, but was also located right on the beach with excellent surfing a short walk farther up the beach. He hopped out of the Maserati and went up and rang the doorbell.

Dick answered a few minutes later with a completely shocked look on his face. He reached out and pinched Logan's bicep. "Ouch, what the hell?" Logan grimaced.

"Just making sure you're real and I'm not hallucinating, dude." Dick said with a sheepish grin on his face. Logan shook his head and handed him one of the coffees and walked past him into the house.

He turned and saw Dick studying him intently. "So what the hell are you doing here? You never mentioned coming up here the last time we talked."

Logan sucked in a deep breath. "Are we alone, or is there any one else here?"

Dick shook his head, "Just me sadly. Had a late meeting last night, so didn't get a chance to hook up with any hotties." He gave Logan a leering smile.

"I thought you were seeing someone last time we talked. What was it… Jazmine with a 'z'?"

Dick laughed and shook his head, "No it was Jasmyne with a 'y'. That didn't work out after all."

"Sorry man," Logan said as he slapped him lightly on the shoulder.

Dick shrugged, "No biggie. Lot's of hot babes just lining up for their chance with the Dickster."

Logan laughed and shook his head. "I'm sure there are." _If not for a chance with you, they're at least lining up for a chance at a modeling contract._

The story Dick told most people was that he had come up with the brilliant idea to open a modeling agency shortly after graduating from Hearst. He sold it as the perfect way to surround himself with lots of beautiful women. With his wealth he was easily able to hire someone who really did know something about how the modeling business worked and so instead of being a gigantic failure, his agency was actually quite successful. Logan knew that in reality though, he'd gotten extremely lucky when he attended a fashion show looking for a model to pick up and ended up at an open bar next to an extremely pissed off head assistant to one of the top modeling agencies working the show. The guy was going off about what a bitch the owner of the agency was and how he was tired of her shit, and when he found out who Dick was and Dick's appreciation for the fairer sex, well he was quite convincing about all the benefits there could be from starting his own agency. The guy made it his personal mission to steal as many of the top models away from the other agency as he could when he left. Logan was thankful their agency really was successful, because the other guy hadn't been too concerned about using lots of Dick's money to fund their little venture.

"So, you still haven't answered my question." Dick said, looking at him a bit more seriously than he had before. "I may be oblivious most of the time, but I can tell there's something going on." Logan shrugged and turned to walk farther into the house.

"Fuck," Dick finally yelled out behind him. "You're not back here because of Ronnie are you? I know that pathetic kicked puppy dog look, and that's exactly what you look like right now. Please tell me you aren't seriously trying to hook up with her again after all this time man?"

Dick caught up with him in the back of the house where Logan had stopped to look out at the ocean. "Come on, let's just go surf and I'll explain what I can afterwards. Okay?"

Dick narrowed his eyes at him and shook his head. "Yeah, fine." He pulled his cell phone out of his pocket. "Just let me send Joel a message to let him know I'm not going to be in the office this morning."

Twenty minutes later they were out floating in the ocean waiting for a good wave to ride back in. Logan knew Dick had been carefully studying him, but he hadn't been ready to say anything yet. _How much can I even tell him without getting into trouble with Veronica?_ He knew that Dick at least did know that she was an FBI agent already. Logan had mentioned it at some point after Mac had told him she became an agent once they graduated. He remembered Dick laughing and thanking him for the warning so he wouldn't say anything incriminating around her if he bumped into her again. _It's probably fine to tell him I'm helping her with a case then. Not that I know anything about her damn case anyway._ A decent wave came up behind them and they rode it in, he was thankful it gave him a chance to focus on something other than Veronica for the brief amount of time he rode it in to shore. He immediately turned around and headed back out, with Dick dutifully following him as well.

"So how long have you been back?" Dick finally asked. Dick never was one to just enjoy silence for very long.

"Flew back on Sunday night," Logan answered, watching the water and not looking at Dick.

"Where are you staying?"

"Rented a house about 3 miles from here." Logan laughed before he continued. "The house next to it is owned by Connor Larkin."

"Damn," Dick replied. "I've actually been there for a couple parties. That's one sweet house. Larkin was there one of the times. Man that guy is such a tool sometimes."

Logan laughed and nodded. "Luckily he's in Vancouver filming some series, so he hasn't been around."

Dick nodded, "Yeah I'd heard that. Is Bryn around?" He let out a whistle. "She's one hot little piece of Irish…" He cut off when he saw Logan scowl at him. "What man? She is."

Logan shook his head and continued to give him an angry glare. "Met her yesterday. She's super nice, so show a little respect."

Dick waggled his eyebrows at Logan. "_Met_ her huh? Was it one of those accidentally fall and fuck sort of meetings?"

Logan shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh. "No, Dick. Not everyone is as big a whore as you are."

Dick shrugged and just smiled back at him. "You'd be surprised how many are though." He gave him a lecherous grin and winked.

Logan just shook his head and caught the next wave back into the beach again. This time he walked a little farther up the sand to where they'd left their gear and stuck the board in the sand and grabbed a towel and a bottle of water from the small cooler Dick had brought along. Dick followed him up a few minutes later and grabbed a beer out of the cooler for himself.

"So are you ready to talk yet?" Dick asked him after he took a drink of the beer and studied him for a little while longer. "You've got that look going like Superman does when there's kryptonite anywhere near him. So don't even tell me that you're not back here because of Ronnie."

Logan shook his head and looked out to the ocean for a few minutes. "Yeah, she came to Brazil and asked me if I could come back to help her with a case. They needed a driver to get close to some suspects at Fontana." He glanced over at Dick to see his reaction. "You can't say anything about that though of course and she's undercover, so don't call her Veronica either."

Dick just nodded and took another drink of his beer. "Things not going too smoothly between you two then?"

Logan let out a frustrated laugh, "Not really."

Dick chuckled, "So basically status quo." Logan nodded in reply.

"I know you thought you two were meant to be or something…" _Epic..._ "…but maybe it's time you face the reality that the two of you really don't work together and stop trying to force it."

"Yeah, I've been trying to tell myself that too, but it's not really working."

Dick shook his head at him with a sympathetic look on his face. "She really is like some incurable disease or addiction to you man. You seemed pretty happy in Brazil. Why'd you agree to do this for her?"

Logan looked at him with a bit of disbelief in his expression. _Like I could ever not help her when she asked._

Dick gave him a knowing smile and just shook his head. "N – O – two easy little letters dude. You really should just try using them sometime when it comes to her."

Logan shook his head and stood up and grabbed his board again and walked back out to the water. He was sort of relieved that Dick didn't follow him out this time, and instead he sat on the beach admiring a couple of girls that were jogging up towards them. Logan noticed when he was done paddling out that the two girls had stopped and were talking to Dick on the beach. Logan turned back around so he could watch the waves coming in toward him instead. _What the hell am I going to do now about Veronica?_ _Act like nothing happened last night, just like she seems to be doing? I still wonder if she even came back to bed last night or just slept in one of the other rooms when she noticed I was asleep. I really don't want to have to sit through dinner acting like nothing is wrong. I know she basically warned me last night that she'd do this, but I really didn't want to believe that's what she meant. _He let out a frustrated sigh and bobbed along on the waves. A larger wave was coming in and he didn't feel like going back in to shore yet, so swam under it and then sat bobbing on his board again. Not even being out on the ocean was really making him less anxious at all. He tried to think about everything that had happened the night before to try to get some clue as to what had happened to her. _She'd said her life was complicated, but that there wasn't someone else in her life… not now… she had made a point to say 'not now'._ Obviously there had been someone at some point, though that wasn't that surprising and still didn't help him understand her extreme avoidance of everything now. He finally rode a wave back into the beach and found Dick still talking to the two joggers.

"Hey dude, these lovely ladies invited us to a party tonight if you're game." _At least he didn't call me Logan. _He'd forgotten to remind him about that when he got to his house.

"Sorry, but I already have plans tonight, but you should go Dick." Logan said as he stuck his board in the sand and grabbed his towel again.

"Come on dude, it will be a blast. You can blow off whatever plans you have, especially if they're with Ronnie."

"Sorry, but I can't." Logan said as he grabbed his water bottle and took a long drink. Logan watched patiently as Dick got the information from the ladies about the party and said farewell to them.

"Dude, you really should go with me." Dick tried again after the women had jogged off. "I'll let you take your pick of the two of them. It's the perfect way to get over your Ronnie blues."

Logan shook his head. "No can do Dick, I really do have to go to something for her case tonight that I can't get out of."

After they were done surfing, Logan talked Dick into going out for lunch. He was trying to keep his mind off his problems with Veronica, and even though Dick could be irritating sometimes, he welcomed the temporary distraction for at least part of the time. It was almost 2pm by the time he finally made it back to the house. He'd made up his mind by that point that he really didn't want to go to dinner with her and have to pretend he wasn't upset about how she'd been avoiding dealing with things between them. 

He called her cell, not sure she'd be able to answer it if she was busy with work, but decided he'd rather at least try to talk to her instead of just sending a text message. He was surprised when she answered.

"Hey there, what's up?" She asked in her normal friendly voice.

"Um… I don't really feel like going to dinner tonight, so can I just pick you up for the party instead?"

She hesitated for a second, "Sure… is everything okay?"

"Yeah… I just don't really feel like dealing with traffic at rush hour." _Great, I'm already back to lying to her again._ He shook his head in frustration.

"Well it's only 2 now, if you left now you could just come by early. Traffic shouldn't be too bad right now."

"I just got back to the house and need to get ready still. Look, I'm sorry I just don't feel like going out to dinner tonight."

"Okay, that's fine." He heard her take a deep breath. "You can pick me up at 8 then instead."

"Sounds good. I'll see you at 8. Bye."

She said good bye and then disconnected the call.

Logan drove around LA for a little while once he got there to be sure he didn't get to her apartment any earlier than 8. He finally drove over to her place and parked in the visitor parking area, taking his time to make his way to her door so that he arrived promptly right at 8. He knocked and waited for her to answer. It took her a few minutes to finally come and open it. She was wearing a dark green dress with a low v-cut in front and flowing skirt with her hair done up in a fancy braid. She looked absolutely beautiful and for a brief second Logan forgot that he was upset about how she'd acted that morning. But it only lasted a second and then he remembered the entire thing all over again.

"Hey, it's okay for you to use the key I gave you." She told him giving him a curious look as she started to walk back into the apartment.

He leaned against the wall inside by the front door. She realized he wasn't following her into the apartment and stopped to look back at him. "Is everything okay?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah, everything's fine." He forced out a friendly smile, "You look really nice tonight." _At least that second part isn't a lie._

"Thanks," She said with a suspicious smile, "So do you. I'm almost ready to go. Do you want to have a seat?"

He shook his head. "I'll just wait here." She gave him a curious look, but didn't push him any farther and disappeared back into her bedroom. She came back out a few minutes later and grabbed her purse and held out her hand for his. He let out a little sigh and took her hand and followed her out the door.

"Did you have some dinner then?" She asked curiously after they climbed into his car and started to drive to the hotel that the 'magazine' had rented a conference room at for the party.

"Yeah, just had some of the left over Italian food." He answered as he focused on the traffic. "You?"

"Yeah, I walked down and grabbed a quick bite to eat at Harley's." She replied.

"By yourself?" He asked. He wasn't really sure what possessed him to ask, but he did anyway. Part of him still didn't like the idea of her walking around busy cities at night all by herself, although he realized that was a bit ridiculous since it was the neighborhood that she lived in and she was an FBI agent. Maybe it was also the reaction of the waitress that made him ask as well. He couldn't help but feel like she was expecting to see Veronica with someone else.

"Actually no, Ash walked down with me too."

_Of course he did._ He didn't say anything at first. _At least she wasn't walking around in the dark alone I guess. _"What about our cover?" He finally asked. Not wanting to sound like he was jealous, even though he actually was, although with how she'd bolted on him it was hard for even the jealousy to overshadow the other emotions he had been feeling.

"We're just friends Logan. There's nothing there that could interfere with our cover story."

He nodded, "Well I'm glad you didn't walk down alone." He expected some sort of rebuttal about her being a trained agent again but she didn't say a word.

They went back to driving in silence for a few more minutes until Veronica finally did speak again. "So did you do anything fun today? Torture any more sales people?"

Logan chuckled slightly thinking momentarily about the poor jewelry salesman but then he quickly shifted back to his crappy mood again. "I actually spent all morning with Dick. We went surfing then had lunch."

"Oh," Veronica said, her tone sounded a bit surprised. "Where is Dick living these days?"

"Um…" Logan hesitated for a moment. "About 3 miles from the house I rented."

"Oh…" Veronica replied then paused a moment before she continued. "He's not going to start hanging out at your house all the time is he?"

"Would it matter if you're never around anyway?" he replied in a slightly angry tone. He'd been trying to keep his emotions in check, but wasn't doing a very good job evidently.

"Logan, I had a work meeting today," she quickly replied, as she practically scoffed at him. "It wasn't something I could just blow off and stay there with you."

He blew out a frustrated breath and didn't say anything else for a few moments. He finally lost his temper though and just said what he was thinking without worrying about the consequences. "It would have been nice if you'd mentioned you had to leave early before just bolting out the door. Would you have even told me you were leaving if I hadn't woken up before you left? Or were you in such a hurry to just nail and bail that you hoped you wouldn't have to deal with me at all."

"Seriously, Logan?" She said with a tone of disbelief in her voice, but then she started to get angry. "We're on our way to a party _together_ right now. I asked you to have dinner with me, but _you_ blew me off. And now _you're_ the one who's mad because I had to leave early this morning for work?"

He blew out a frustrated breath. "I know you're not stupid Veronica. You know it's not just about you leaving this morning, it's that you still won't fucking talk to me about how you're really feeling or what the hell happened to you while I was gone. But meaningless sex with me is apparently just perfectly fine."

"Logan…" her tone had become softer again. "I just… This isn't really the time to get into something."

"Yeah, it's never the time is it Veronica." He said with an angry tone.

He arrived at the hotel a few minutes later and pulled up to the valet parking. He took a deep breath and then opened his door and climbed out. He handed the key to the valet, then walked around to open Veronica's door, holding out his hand to her. "Come on darling dearest, time to go meet and mingle." She climbed out, but pulled him over to the side of the entry way instead of walking into the lobby.

"Logan, please be patient. I'm trying… I didn't mean to hurt you… again…" She looked sadly into his eyes and placed her hand on his cheek. "I'm sorry about last night…"

He blew out a frustrated breath and lowered his head closer to hers, "Are you saying you're sorry we slept together last night?" He felt a painful ache course through his chest as he struggled to breath.

She shook her head, "No, that's not what I meant…" She stopped and looked intently at his face. "I'm sorry I wouldn't talk to you… that I…" she took a deep breath. "That I never came back before you were asleep, and then…" she sighed and continued. "And then I slept in the other room so I wouldn't risk waking you up and having to talk about things."

He closed his eyes and took a sharp breath._ I knew she never came back to bed._ He felt her hand drop from his cheek and then her arms wrapped around his waist and she pressed herself against his chest. He opened his eyes again as she started to talk. "I've been so wrapped up in whatever it takes to get the job done that… that avoidance and furtiveness have become second nature I guess…" She pulled back so she could look up at his face and gave him a soulful, apologetic look. "So being open with someone..." She looked a bit wistfully at him before continuing, "It doesn't come naturally, but I'll try to act unnaturally… If you give me another chance…"

He let out a long breath and swallowed hard. He of course never forgot her saying almost the exact same thing to him about trust at the Hearst library and he could tell by her expression that she hoped he remembered too. He looked at her sadly then leaned in and kissed her forehead. He left his lips against her head for a few extra seconds before lifting his head back up. He didn't say anything, but nodded slightly.

She reached up and stroked his cheek again. "Thank you," she said softly then leaned up on her tip toes and placed a kiss on his lips. He let out a long slow breath after their lips separated.

"Come on," he said quietly, "we'd better get inside." She nodded and took his hand and led him into the lobby and then into the conference room that the party was being held in.


	25. Chapter 25

_**A/N – I know this story always seems to leave off at points where you probably all scream NO! At least you don't have to wait too long for the next chapter though. This one has some good little nuggets in it at least to tide you over until we get to 26. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 25

Once they entered the conference room, Logan spotted Ratner across the room and gave him a quick nod. There were quite a few other people there already, including people from the magazine who were serving as hosts. A fairly tall woman in her late forties came over and shook hands with Logan and Veronica.

"You must be Billy Deimos," the woman said as she reached out her hand. Logan nodded and shook her hand. "Nice to meet you, and nice to see you too Lindsey," she said to Veronica as she shook her hand as well.

"Nice to see you too, Donna. Can you take us around and make some introductions?" Veronica asked with a friendly smile. Donna nodded and took them over to a group of couples that were talking on the opposite side of the room.

"Billy Deimos and Lindsey Evans, I'd like to introduce you to Oliver Brant and Raul Silva."

"You're Luis's cousin right?" Veronica asked Raul. Raul smiled and nodded. Raul introduced them to his wife Heidi and Oliver's girlfriend Trisha. Heidi gave them both a friendly smile. She was a little taller than Veronica and also had blonde hair and blue eyes. They could have easily passed for sisters they looked so much alike. Donna promptly left them to go and talk with other guests.

"Wow, you two could almost pass for twins," Oliver pointed out as Donna walked off.

The two blonds smiled and nodded. "Well I can say for certain, my Lindsey is definitely one of a kind," Logan replied and pulled her a little closer and kissed her temple. The other two women made little "ahh" sounds while Veronica gave him a sweet smile.

"So I hear you're a pretty skilled racer," Raul said eyeing Logan up and down. "Luis was quite impressed with your abilities anyway. Have you done any racing in the US before?" Logan shook his head in reply. "Well there are quite a few really good drivers in Fontana. I guess we'll see how good you are soon enough." Raul continued. Logan didn't want to come across as cocky and piss anyone off, but he already wasn't really liking Raul.

Oliver laughed, "Don't let him intimidate you," he said giving a knowing smile to Logan. "Raul just doesn't like to share the lime light."

Raul smirked and shook his head at Oliver. "You've got to be able to catch me to do that, and so far you've come up short, what the last 6 races?"

Oliver shrugged and shook his head. "I think it's only been 4 races, Silva. You know what happened the last time you got a bit too sure of yourself don't you? Maybe we should make another wager. I could certainly use another new motorcycle."

Heidi laughed and put her arms around Raul's waist, "Alright you two! That's enough. Lindsey and Billy didn't come here tonight to listen to you two having one of your usual pissing contests. They're going to think all the racers in Fontana's are arrogant assholes." She gave Raul a slightly threatening look to which he smiled and shook his head.

"Sorry, we just get a little competitive. She's right, not all the racers at Fontana are arrogant assholes, just me and Oliver."

"Hey!" Oliver protested, "Speak for yourself." Trisha laughed and leaned up to give Oliver a kiss on the cheek.

"Seriously though," Heidi continued. "Most of the folks at Fontana are really nice." Trisha gave her a skeptical look. "What? I said _most_."

Oliver chimed back in, "There might be a few drivers that are actually arrogant assholes." He took a quick look around the room. "Luckily, I don't happen to see any of them here tonight, well other than Raul." Raul gave him an annoyed look and shook his head.

Raul turned his attention to Veronica. "Luis said you were a photographer?" She nodded in reply. "Do you work with Indigo?" Indigo was the name of the online magazine that the agents did their assignments for and of course who was hosting the party.

Veronica smiled and nodded, "Yeah, I do assignments for Indigo and sometimes other magazines too. I'll be doing some assignments at Fontana for Indigo though."

"Were you working on something for Indigo while you were in Sau Paulo?" Raul asked. Logan tried not to give her an anxious look, but he was a little worried since she said they weren't actually going to publish anything from down there.

Veronica gave Raul a charming smile. "I was actually doing some work for another magazine. I'm not sure when or if they are going to run the story though. Some times editors make the stupidest choices on what they finally decide to publish. Send us all over the place for stories and work and then decide to pull the article for something they think will sell more copies. I do love working for Indigo though. Their editors seem much more intelligent than some of the other magazines and papers I've worked for. They have great journalists too. I'm sure you'll enjoy working with them."

Logan was relieved that Raul and the others didn't seem suspicious about anything at all. He wasn't sure why he was even nervous about it though. He knew Veronica was always good at playing lots of different types of the roles, even when she was just doing PI work in high school. They stayed and talked with the four of them for a while longer, mostly about what it was like racing at Fontana before they finally moved on to another group of drivers that Donna asked them to come over to meet too.

After mingling for a little while and meeting several other drivers, Logan went to get a couple of drinks for them while Veronica continued talking with the last group they'd been introduced to. Logan ran into Ratner standing near the table that held the drinks. "Nice to see you again Billy," Ratner said with a smile.

"Yeah, nice to see you too…" Logan couldn't remember what Ratner's undercover name was and trailed off his greeting. Ratner laughed and shook his head.

"David Snider," he smirked and reached out his hand. Logan shook it and shrugged.

There weren't any other people near them, so Ratner leaned in a bit closer to talk quietly to him. "I was really surprised you got her to agree to the fiancé story considering…" Logan started to tilt his head and gave him a confused look. Ratner stopped when he saw Logan's expression realizing he said something he shouldn't have.

"Considering what, _David_?" Logan asked tersely.

Ratner hesitated a moment, "…considering she wasn't a fan of the idea originally."

Logan could tell he was lying. _Was she engaged or married before? Is that what she's not willing to talk to me about? _He thought back over the last few days again._ Is that why she was looking so intently at the ring that first night?_ _I wonder how badly it turned out if that's what happened and she's so closed off now_.

Logan took the drinks back over to Veronica and continued to make small talk with other drivers and their dates for the rest of the evening. Most of the drivers they met seemed like decent enough guys. Of course even a psychotic abusive murderer could pass as a decent guy if he wanted too, something both Logan and Veronica knew personally way too well.

He thought they were being convincing enough as a newly engaged couple, though Logan couldn't help but feel a bit more disconnected from her than he had before the prior night. They'd been much closer when they had met with the realtor and especially when they were with Bryn the prior day. _I thought having sex would have made us more intimate, not make us more distant. How wrong I was._ They still stood with arms wrapped around each other and he'd occasionally place a quick kiss on her temple or head, but the fun energy they'd had the day before seemed to be completely gone. It was as if they were both having to work hard to sell the story, which the day before it had been so effortless to just play the happy in love couple. He wasn't sure how much of it was all in his head though. She had given him small smiles and ran her hand up and down his back a few times. Maybe it was his irritation with how the morning had gone that he still wasn't really over even with her admission before they came in. He wasn't sure if it was just him that was having a hard time relaxing or if it was both of them. He was worried the longer they went without her being honest about what had happened to her, that the harder playing the part was going to be for him. And then of course his mind kept wandering to the comment that Ratner had made.

The party was finally over and they'd climbed back into Logan's car once the valet brought it back for them. "Do you want me to drop you off at your apartment, or do you want to come back to Malibu with me?" Logan asked as he drove toward the exit of the hotel parking lot.

"You don't want to just stay the night at my apartment?" Veronica asked with a bit of a surprised tone to her voice. "It's much closer than driving all the way back out to Malibu."

Logan shook his head, "No I need to get a few things there to go meet Weevil tomorrow in Fontana. We're going to get things set up at the track and I'm going to start doing some practice laps hopefully. You're welcome to join us if you'd like."

"Thanks, I'd like to get a feel for things out there."

"So," he asked again as he stopped at the exit. "Am I dropping you at your place?"

"I'd like to go back to Malibu with you, if you don't mind," she answered in a soft voice.

A small smile formed on his lips and he nodded as he pulled out into traffic. "I don't mind at all."

They drove in silence for a little while before Logan finally spoke again. "How do you think tonight went? Were all the drivers you're interested in there?"

Veronica let out a slow breath before she answered. "Yeah, but we don't know for sure whether we're interested in drivers or some of their crew too. It's a better cover story though to interview the drivers and then check into the crew that way."

Logan of course hadn't forgotten her mentioning Victoria the night before. "Was Victoria working on the same case?" It had been so many years ago, he doubted it was, but given she had been in Brazil interviewing drivers at the track, he had been wondering about that. He wasn't sure how much information Veronica would share, but decided he'd at least try asking.

"You know I'm not supposed to tell you details about the case," Veronica said in a slightly uncertain tone.

"I know," he replied quietly.

She let out a little sigh. "If I tell you a little bit though, you have to promise not to tell anyone… not even Ratner, okay?"

"I promise," he said as a small smile formed on his lips. He reached over and gave her hand a gentle squeeze, as he glanced quickly at her. She smiled back and nodded slightly.

"Yes, Victoria was working on the same case, but at that time it was a different focus." She hesitated a few seconds before continuing. "Her team was trying to track down a suspect who was drugging and raping women." He sucked in a deep breath as worry and too many bad memories hit him all at once. "I know…" she said softly and squeezed his hand a little tighter. He pulled her hand up to his lips and placed a kiss there before resting it back on her lap.

"There were multiple cases at different racing locations, but they had narrowed it down to several crews that were primarily based out of Fontana, but traveled around as well. That was one of the reasons her team was in Sau Paulo." Veronica continued to explain. "They finally narrowed it down to a single suspect and were about to make an arrest, but when they went after the guy, it apparently didn't go as planned and one of the agents was shot and the suspect got away."

"Did they eventually arrest him?" Logan asked as she paused for a moment. He saw her shake her head out of the corner of his eye.

"No and that's where our case picks up," She paused a moment before continuing. "We're pretty sure that he has contacts that are helping him stay hidden. We froze his assets and bank accounts, but were never able to find him. Of course we have bulletins out with other law enforcement agencies too. He's either very well hidden, or completely changed his identity so we haven't been able to find him. He turned out to be more of a floater, doing mechanical and other support work for several different drivers, so we couldn't easily identify all of his connections."

"Why would anyone want to help a rapist?" Logan asked in disbelief.

"I'm sure they don't know what he's actually done. The agents were just getting ready to charge and arrest him, so nothing would have been public yet on the rape cases. I don't know how solid their evidence on those cases was either, but now he's definitely wanted for killing a Federal Agent." She let out a sigh and didn't continue.

Logan took a deep breath. "Victoria?" He finally asked in a soft voice. He quickly glanced over at her, and she nodded. "I'm so sorry Veronica."

"Me too," she replied quietly.

"Do you think he's actually around Fontana?" Logan asked, starting to worry about how much danger Veronica could be in if she went after him.

"We don't know, but we think he definitely has people here still helping him and that he's been back some time in the last few months. We're trying to figure out who the people helping him are so we can hopefully find him and finally arrest him." She paused again before letting out a deep breath and continuing. "There were… there were a few more reported rapes around Fontana in the last few months. The rape cases had stopped for quite a while after the shooting, but then they started again several months ago, in different locations, not just Fontana. We think it's the same guy again. They all match the same M.O. of the original rape cases they were investigating. That's what initiated the case becoming active and getting a higher priority again. Victoria was killed only a few months after coming back from Sau Paulo, so the case had gone cold after they couldn't get any leads for over a year."

_Great, she's going after a serial rapist who's killed another FBI agent. I know it's her job, but it still scares the crap out of me that she willingly wants to do things like this._ He subconsciously squeezed her hand a little tighter and let out a deep breath too.

"Hey, I'm mostly just working intel gathering on this Logan. I'm not planning on chasing the guy down… or trying to be bait." _I almost can't believe she can read my mind through a hand squeeze and a deep breath, but given who we are, I'm not actually all that surprised. _

"Good, I just got you back in my life," Logan said softly, "I'm not wanting to lose you all ready."

She squeezed his hand a little tighter and then brought it up to her lips and placed a soft kiss on the back of his hand. "Same here."

They were almost back to the house and drove the rest of the way in silence. Logan was relieved that she finally trusted him enough to share information about the case with him, but he did notice she was pretty vague on the details of any names of the people involved. And he also couldn't help but wonder if she'd agreed to share information about the case as a way to placate him so he wouldn't press her again about what had happened to her. While it was great that she was opening up about her professional life, she still didn't seem to be any closer to wanting to talk about her personal life with him. He also couldn't help but think about the comment Ratner accidentally made at the party. _Could she have actually been married before?_ He thought back to the comment she made in Sau Paulo too about sacrificing things for her career. _Did her job cause her marriage to fall apart? Is that what she thinks would happen to us and why she was so sure it wouldn't work out?_ He really did want to try to be patient with her, but he was also worried if he didn't push her a little, she'd never just open up on her own.

He'd found the remote for the garage door before he'd driven to LA, so used it to park the Maserati inside. She gave him a warm smile before she opened her door and climbed out. He followed her into the house and once she was in the main living area she turned to look at him again. He reached down and took her left hand, bringing it up closer to his face and gently ran his thumb over the diamond ring, looking at the diamond for a few minutes before he looked up into her eyes instead with a serious expression on his face. He took his other hand and brushed some loose strands of hair that had come out of the braid behind her ear. "Thanks for telling me about the case." She smiled and nodded. "Are you ready to talk about what's going on with you yet?" The smile faded and her expression became troubled again. He waited a few seconds for a reply and when he didn't get one he nodded slightly and let go of her hand.

"I'm going to go out to the hot tub for a little while before I go to bed. We're leaving at 9 tomorrow morning. Good night Veronica." He walked past her up the stairs to the master bedroom before she had a chance to say anything in response. He couldn't force her to talk to him, but that didn't mean he was just going to act like it didn't bother him at all either.

When he came out of the bathroom in his shorts and carrying a towel, she was sitting on the bed waiting for him. She stood up and stepped in front of him. "Logan… it's just late and I… I didn't want to get into it tonight…"

"Look Veronica," He replied as calmly as he could. "I know I can't make you tell me anything you don't want to. I appreciate what you said earlier about being willing to try to be more open with me, but until you do I'm… Well, I was honest with you about how I felt and I really don't want to put myself out there like that when you're not willing to meet me part way." He paused and took another breath. "And you're right, it's late. You should go to sleep. I'll take one of the other rooms if you want this one."

She took a deep shuddering breath but didn't say anything. He looked at her for a second longer then moved around her and went down to the hot tub.


	26. Chapter 26

_**A/N – Finally we get to learn about something that happened to Veronica while he was gone. I'd love to hear what everyone thinks after you read this chapter. And I'm sorry that it's sort of a shorter chapter than some of the ones lately have been, but this seemed like the best place to cut it.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 26

The hot water in the hot tub actually did very little to relieve the tenseness in Logan's muscles. He was sitting with his back toward the house, staring out toward the moonlit ocean. He was trying not to be angry with Veronica given what she'd said outside the hotel, but he was still frustrated that even though she knew how badly he wanted her to open up and talk to him that she wouldn't. He had left the jets off when he climbed in so he could hear the waves crashing against the shore. He was hoping the soothing sound of the ocean would help relieve some of his anxiety and frustration. He tried focusing on only the waves, but his mind wouldn't let him stop obsessing over her. He'd almost forgotten how skilled she was at compartmentalizing things and how well she used to be able to manipulate his feelings for her. He had no doubt now that she'd opened up about the case so he'd feel like she was opening up to him and not push for more. He could see it in her expression when they'd come in from the car.

He'd only been out there about 5 minutes when he heard the door open and close. He kept staring out toward the ocean and didn't turn to look at her. He knew he had very little control if she were to look at him that one particular way and he really didn't want to just get lost in his desire for her and then let her continue to hurt him. That was the main reason he'd retreated out to the hot tub to try to put some physical space between them. He could see her shadow as she walked toward him with the lights from the house illuminating her petite figure from behind.

"Can I join you?" She asked softly.

He still didn't turn to look at her when he answered. He gazed down at the water and nodded. "Of course."

She climbed in next to him and he briefly saw a flash of red out of the corner of his eye as she sat down, so he knew she was wearing something different than the night before, but he didn't trust himself enough to turn and look. He sunk a bit farther down and closed his eyes and leaned his head back so his neck was resting on the edge of the hot tub. After a few minutes, he felt her hand press against his cheek and he took a deep breath. He slowly opened his eyes and turned his head so he could look at her.

"Logan I came back out to Malibu with you because I wanted to spend time with you, not fight with you." She said it with a sad expression on her face, as she looked intently into his eyes.

"We're not fighting," he replied softly and closed his eyes again. Seeing her sad, even if he was still disappointed with her was just too hard and he knew he'd likely just fold again and let her get away with whatever she wanted.

"Yeah, but we weren't really spending time together either with you avoiding me out here." She gently stroked his cheek with her thumb. She moved her thumb from the soft skin right below his eye down along where his beard was. She ran her fingers through his facial hair which tickled slightly and he tried not to think about how good having her nails lightly scrape over his skin felt. He didn't want to let himself think about how amazing it felt the night before when those fingers had touched almost every inch of his body. If he thought too much about it, he knew he'd just get consumed by passion and then they'd just be back to exactly the same point that they had been that morning in no time at all. He had no doubt that she'd continue to just go along without telling him the truth as long as possible if he didn't push her given how she'd been so far. And if he couldn't push her into talking yet, then keeping his distance was the only other thing he could do.

He blew out a deep breath and sat back up and scooted away from her. "I don't want to fight with you, but I'm still not happy that you won't tell me anything about what happened to you. I was completely honest with you about Gabriela, and you won't… you won't tell me anything Veronica. I know you asked me to be patient, and I'll try but that doesn't just change how I feel about all of this." He paused for a moment before unintentionally lashing out at her again. "I told you how I feel and all you've done in return is tell me how it couldn't work between us, though not why… and then immediately turned around and slept with me before bolting back to LA." _Apparently patience and understanding aren't things I excel at._ He closed his eyes again and clenched his jaw. He opened his eyes a moment later and looked back down at the water and not at her.

He could see her moving again out of the corner of his eye. She gently put her hand under his chin and lifted his head up so he'd look at her again. She took a deep breath and put on a steely expression. "Ask away. Ask anything you'd like… but keep in mind you may not like the answer."

He sighed and shook his head slightly. _God why does she have to make this so hard and make me feel so guilty about wanting to know. Even though the roles are reversed I still feel as bad as I did when she was wanting the same thing from me all those years ago when we were in college. But if I don't ask, I know she's never going to just volunteer any information. _He took a deep breath. "Were you married Veronica?" She looked a little surprised but shook her head. "Engaged?" She bit her lower lip and nodded, pulling her hand away from his chin and crossing her arm across her chest, resting her right hand on her left shoulder. Her other arm wrapped around her stomach and grabbed the opposite elbow hugging both arms close to her body.

"What happened?" He wasn't sure if that's what caused her to be more jaded and cynical but if it didn't work out, he'd already decided it seemed like a likely source of that. And her physical reaction seemed to be a sure sign that it hadn't turned out well. Her expression had also become much more troubled and sad when he asked. As soon as he really took in her full reaction, he couldn't help but reach out and pull her onto his lap, letting out a deep sigh as he kissed her forehead and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. _Is it okay to let my resolve crumble now if she's going to actually start talking to me?_

She took a deep breath and leaned her head against his shoulder before she started to respond. "I was working undercover at a newspaper in LA and made the mistake of getting too close to a guy who was also a photographer for the paper." She shook her head slowly, "I knew it was a bad idea, since I was working on a case… but he…" She sat back up and bit on her lip for a moment before continuing. She ran a hand up through his hair and then down to his cheek, before gently caressing her fingers over his eyebrows too. Her eyes traced the movement of her fingers and then looked intently into his eyes glancing back to the path they'd just taken as she started to talk again. "He had light brown hair, and soft hazel eyes..." She looked at him so sadly and then shook her head again before continuing with her eyes closed. "He was so charming, and a little snarky, and he…" She opened her eyes again and gave him a sad smile as a few tears ran down her cheek. "He reminded me so much of you, and I realized… I realized I missed you so much when I was around him…" A small sob escaped and she paused to get control of herself again. A few more tears ran down her cheek and he reached up and gently brushed them away.

"But I thought… I thought you were happy in Brazil… There were also some pictures of you and Gabriela from when Victoria went to Sau Paulo… and you… you looked so happy with her." She paused again and bit her lip nervously for a few seconds before continuing. "It was so easy… so easy to just play the role of Lindsey and let him fall in love with her… with me… because it was Lindsey and not Veronica." She took a deep breath again before she continued. "He was so passionate and impulsive… and I found myself wanting to just be impulsive too… It made me feel young and happy again… and after a couple of months he proposed. And I thought… I thought maybe it could work…" She paused, probably thinking back to that time again, before she continued. "I felt so bad… you know… that he didn't even really know who I was… I knew… I knew I needed to tell him the truth and had planned to…"

Her expression changed from sad to more troubled again. "We thought… we thought we'd identified all the suspects in the case but… but we hadn't…" She shook her head. "I think I just wanted to be happy so badly that maybe… maybe I just ignored things I should have noticed…" She paused again, her voice had cracked a bit again and she stopped to regain her composure. "I was going to tell him who I really was… and then… and then I found something I wasn't supposed to see…" Her hand went up to her shoulder again, but this time he noticed her thumb was tracing over the scar. She swallowed hard before she continued. There were still a few tears rolling down her cheeks. "He some how found out I was an FBI agent before I told him… he thought... he thought I'd been after him the entire time… I guess… I guess maybe I was, but I didn't even know it... or just didn't want to believe it because he reminded me so much of you." She paused again and then shook her head slowly. "There was a… he's the one who shot me."

"I'm so sorry Veronica," He pulled her into his chest and held her tightly, placing one hand on the back of her head and the other around her shoulders. _I should have been there. I should have never left. I should have been there to protect her._ He felt her sob softly against his chest and slowly shake her head. She wrapped her arms around him as well.

"It's not your fault… you don't need to apologize…" She said softly against his chest after a few moments. He placed a kiss to her head and kept holding her tightly.

"But if I'd come back…" He took a deep breath. "If I'd known you missed me… or if you'd called… you know I would have come back, right?" He felt her nod against his chest. "I'm so sorry that happened to you." He kissed her softly on the top of her head again. They sat there in silence for a few minutes. Logan was still trying to process through everything she'd told him. She'd stopped sobbing, and for a little while the only sounds he could hear were her light breathing and the waves crashing against the shore.

"It's my fault Logan. I'm the one who put myself into that position, not you." Her voice was partly muffled against his chest. "And it's been quite a while now since it happened. I guess… I guess I just try not to think about it anymore." He could understand now why she didn't really want to talk about it, but was relieved that she finally did.

"Did they catch him?" Logan asked after a few minutes, trying to keep the edge of anger out of his voice. _Because if they didn't I'm going to track down the son of a bitch myself._

She sat back up looking at him and nodded, then ran her hand across his cheek. She placed a kiss to his lips and left her forehead against his for a moment before leaning back a bit again. He couldn't help but look at her with a worried expression. He slowly reached up and lightly ran his fingers over her scar again and then tipped his head and placed a few soft kisses there before sitting up again. She studied his face carefully for a few moments before she spoke again. "I'm sorry your relaxing dip in the hot tub didn't turn out very relaxing." She gently ran her fingers across his furrowed brow and gave him a small apologetic smile.

He shook his head. "You don't need to apologize. Thank you for telling me… about what happened." He tried to look less angry and upset but wasn't sure he was succeeding. He'd had no idea when Mac had told him she was shot that it was by someone who had claimed to love her enough to propose to her. _No wonder she is even less trusting than she had been before. But she has to know I'd never do anything to hurt her... Who am I kidding… even though I never physically hurt her, I emotionally tore her apart when she found out about Madison, not to mention everything I did to her when we were in high school._

She smiled grimly, but continued to study his face. "Do you want to share what's going through that pretty head of _yours_ now with _me_?" She raised an eyebrow at him as she asked.

He smirked slightly and then gazed down at the water again. His smirk was replaced by a troubled scowl. "Besides wanting to ram my first into that bastard's face?"

He looked up at her for a moment and noticed that she was biting her lip with a troubled look on her face again. All of a sudden something clicked into place. She'd wanted him to leave before because he'd caused a mess by trying to defend her. And here they were almost back in the same place as if no time had passed, just a different target for his anger to focus on. _Is that why she said her life was too complicated to get involved with me? Maybe it isn't so much her life that's complicated as it is me being in it because of who I used to be. I've got to try to fix this and not seem like the hot headed teenager I was when I left._ "I'm sorry. I meant… I'm really glad that he was arrested." He tried to look like he was being sincere, but doubted she was probably completely buying it. She knew him too well and knew how protective he had always been. But it was partly true at least.

She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him. "Logan..." Her voice had that warning, suspicious tone that he was never very fond of.

He brushed some strands of hair out of her face and gave her a half smile. "I'll leave the doling out of justice to the experts. Those authoritative types that carry badges and guns… especially the petite blonds that look extremely hot doing so."

She smiled playfully at him and he couldn't help but smile back and lean in for another kiss. This kiss was a bit deeper than the prior one and he took a deep breath and moaned lightly when they were done.

"Ready to go back inside?" She asked a little breathlessly after the kiss. Her forehead was still leaning against his and he could feel her soft warm breath ghosting across his lips.

He smiled and nodded. "Why don't you head upstairs and I'll take care of everything down here."

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait for you," she asked with a questioning look on her face.

He shook his head and smiled, "Nope, I've got it. I'll be up in a little bit."

She smiled and nodded. "Okay. Don't be too long."

He took another deep breath and then smiled back and nodded in return. He watched her climb out and grab her towel. He couldn't help but take in the sight of her in the tiny red bikini she was wearing. She must have noticed his gaze and gave him a coy smile before turning and walking back into the house.

He sat in the hot tub for a few more minutes before he climbed out. He was thinking back over everything that had happened and all the things she'd said. In some ways it definitely helped explain some of her behavior. He could understand why she'd be less likely to trust people she didn't know well, but she knew him and it still didn't make sense to him how what had happened with that asshole would make her not trust him. _Was it because of the things I did when we were younger? Am I still doomed to continue to pay for all the stupid things I did that I can never take back, even though I'd spent time trying to make amends before?_ He still wasn't able to completely make sense of all her reactions. Then a sickening thought struck him. _If he reminded her of me, does that mean I remind her of him now? Is that why she's so uncertain she could really be in a serious relationship with me again? Why she keeps trying to keep me at arms length and not let me get too close to her? Is that why she didn't want to come back to bed last night after we had sex? _He ran his hand nervously through his hair as he thought about the implications of what that might all mean. The anxiety started eating away at him the more he thought about it. It seemed like a logical theory given what had happened to her and how she'd been acting.

He eventually climbed out and covered the hot tub before going inside and locking all the doors. He turned the security system on and headed up the stairs.


	27. Chapter 27

_**A/N – More answers to some of the questions many of you have been asking in this chapter. As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know what you think with a review!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 27

"Hey there," Veronica said as he came into the bedroom. "That took you longer than I expected." He could tell that she was studying him carefully as he walked farther in the room to find some shorts to sleep in. He gave her a tentative smile then grabbed his shorts to go into the bathroom to change. When he was done he opened the bathroom door and leaned against the door frame looking hesitantly at her. He nervously ran his hand through his hair again and then rested his hand at the back of his neck.

Veronica was sitting in the bed with the covers pulled up around her waist. She was wearing what looked more like a silky night gown than the tank top and short set that she'd worn before. She gave him a curious look. "What's wrong Logan?" she asked when he didn't move from the door way.

He shook his head and shrugged. "Nothing… I was just thinking… would you be more comfortable if I slept in another room?"

Her expression became concerned as she shook her head. "No... Why?... Do you not want to sleep in here with me now?"

He moved his hand from the back of his neck to his mouth and bit nervously on his thumb nail for a moment. "Will you answer something else honestly for me?"

She still looked a little concerned, but nodded. He walked closer to the bed and sat down on the edge. He was trying to keep his distance, but felt the need to get a little closer before he began. She reached over and took his hands in hers. "I never meant to make you think you were only allowed to ask me one question." She said with a small encouraging smile, the look of worry masked at least temporarily.

He took a deep breath and nodded. "You said he reminded you of me..." She nodded, the concerned expression returned to her face. "Do I… do I remind you of him now? Is that why…." He took a deep breath forcing himself to continue. "Is that why you didn't want to come back to bed after we had sex last night?"

She looked at him, her expression was a mixture of sadness and confusion. "I don't…" She took a deep breath before she continued. "No, I don't think that's why I didn't come back." She looked down at their hands for a moment before looking up into his eyes again. "I don't really know why I was so afraid to come back though." She gave him a soft smile, "But I'm not afraid of you Logan." She sat up on her knees so she could get closer to him. "And you don't remind me of him." She leaned closer so their foreheads were touching. "You're Logan… just Logan… not someone else…" She closed her eyes and he felt a tear drop down to his hand. He tipped his head up so he could kiss her gently on the forehead. "You're real… You're Logan." She continued to say, opening her eyes again and looking intently at him.

"Maybe I should sleep in another room tonight…" he said in almost a whisper, "… give you some time to sort through things... I had no idea… if I had… I… I shouldn't have…"

She pulled back slightly and looked at him with wide pleading eyes. There were still a few unshed tears in her eyes making them glisten in the bedroom light. She shook her head firmly, "No… I want you to stay… please?"

He took a deep breath and nodded, "If you're sure."

She nodded back and squeezed his hands a little tighter. He kissed her forehead again and then stood up to move to the other side of the bed. He climbed in under the covers and turned the main lights off, though there was still a small table lamp turned on by her side of the bed. She scooted over to him and wrapped her arms around his waist, resting her head on his chest. He took a deep breath and gently stroked from the top of her head down to her back with one hand, while the other hand gently stroked her arm that was wrapped around him.

His mind was still trying to process everything she'd told him. _I don't even know what the guy's name was and I don't really want to ask now. Maybe it's better if I never know._ He kept running his fingers across her arm as he continued thinking about everything._ I wonder if all her friends knew she was engaged… if they'd met him. I can't believe Mac never told me. Although I did avoid her for a short while after what had happened in LA and told her I didn't want to talk about Veronica as long as she was okay. _He let out a frustrated sigh, realizing how mad he was at himself now for not staying in LA for her. "Did Wallace know who shot you when he saw me at the hospital?" He couldn't believe that he was such an ass to him if she'd just been shot by her fiancé.

He felt Veronica shake her head against his chest. "No, probably not when you were there if it was one of the first couple of days." Logan nodded in reply, though he wasn't sure if she could tell that's what he was doing. "I was really out of it from the surgery and so it took me a few days to tell them what had actually happened. The other agents didn't know all the details either, so the truth didn't come out for a little while."

Logan let out a deep sigh. "But he did know you were engaged?" Veronica nodded. _That would explain things a bit more. Wallace would have thought she was happily engaged and of course wouldn't want me there to screw things up for her._

He kept gently stroking her arm. "Why did you agree to go along with the fiancé story? I wish I'd never suggested it… you know if I'd known… I never would have…"

She sat up and put her hand on his cheek, "Hey, you're not him." She smiled a bit shyly at him. "Maybe I thought it would be nice to pretend to be engaged to someone who didn't want to kill me. You know… make some good memories... with you."

Her explanation touched him more than he expected. He inhaled sharply and reached up and pulled her head down to his, kissing her deeply. She kissed him back and without removing her lips, slid down so she was lying next to him again. She pulled slightly on his shoulder and before he knew it, he was on top of her, feeling her warm bare leg slide around his. Her foot gently pressed into his calf as she arched up under him, pressing her entire body against him. One of his hands slid down and slowly caressed from her calf up to her thigh. As their lips pulled away they both let out breathless little pants. He rested his forehead against hers and tried to think rationally again. _Did she really not know why she couldn't come back to bed last night, or did she just not want to tell me. I don't want a repeat of that again. I don't want to make her feel uncomfortable. This is probably too soon… too fast._

He kissed her softly on the lips again, and then rolled back over to his back, positioning her head onto his chest again and kissing the top of it. She tilted her head up at him and looked at him with a confused expression.

"Don't you want..." She paused for a moment before continuing. "Do you not want to be with me now because of what I told you?"

He ran a hand gently over her hair. She'd taken the braid out and it was wavy from where her hair had been twisted together. "No, that's not..." He took a steadying breath. "I don't want you to run away from me again and if... if you don't know why you felt uneasy last night... I don't want you to feel that way again. I think you might need more time to figure it out." He tried to give her his best reassuring smile.

She nodded and then tipped her head down, smashing her face against his chest. He was expecting some argument or rebuttal, not silence and avoidance, although avoidance really wasn't that surprising. He gently ran his hand up and down her back. When she didn't say anything for a few minutes and still had her face pressed against him, he couldn't help but wonder what was going on with her. "You okay?" He finally asked.

She nodded slightly and turned her head so her cheek was resting against his chest instead of her forehead and nose. He moved his hand from her back up to her head again, tussling her hair softly. "What's going through that pretty little head of yours now?"

She let out a little sigh and then spoke in barely a whisper. "Nothing."

"I highly doubt that." He waited a moment for her to say something else, but she just remained silent. He let out a deep sigh. "Please don't give me the silent treatment again. I thought we were making some good progress being honest with each other." He twisted his body so he could turn his neck to look at her. She wasn't crying but she had a hurt expression on her face. He moved his hand to brush against her cheek. "Talk to me please Veronica."

"I'm just... " She shook her head slightly.

"What? You can tell me... You really can tell me anything Veronica."

"I'm just feeling... frustrated... rejected..."

"I didn't... I'm not rejecting you... Is that really what you think? After everything else I've said... and done…" He took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "Hey, I basically admitted last night that I'm hopelessly in love with you." He tried giving her a reassuring playful smile. Her eyes immediately glanced away from him. _So that's one of the things that she's definitely still not completely ready for. _"Look, I didn't admit that to make you feel guilty or to pressure you into anything... You asked what happened with me and Gabriela and I just wanted to be honest."

"I know… it's just… it's just a bit much right now." She replied without looking back at him.

"And that's why I said earlier that I don't want to make things uncomfortable for you." He reached down and tipped her chin up toward him so she'd look at him again. "Hey, remember what we said the other day about having time to just take things slow." He gave her a loving smile.

"I know… but that was before…" She reached up and ran her hand along his cheek, up into his hair looking intently into his eyes. _Fuck, I know that look._ She swiftly shifted before he even realized what was happening so her body was entirely on top of his. Her legs lightly straddling over his hips. She slowly slid up closer to his head, so he felt every inch of her moving along his body. _She really doesn't play fair._ "…that was before last night… I know I didn't handle it well… after at least…" She slid down his body a little ways. The sheer material of her night gown sliding easily along his chest as she squeezed him a bit tighter with her thighs. "I just… I missed this…" She slid up again and pressed her lips against his. Slowly sliding her tongue into his mouth and then sucking on his upper lip when she pulled her tongue back out. "You felt so amazing…" she murmured against his mouth and then kissed him harder.

"Veronica…" he mumbled when she finally pulled back a little from his mouth. "Are you… are you sure?" She answered his question with another deep kiss.

"I won't leave this time…" she said breathlessly against his mouth when she pulled her lips away slightly from his. She gave him a sly mischievous smile, "Plus you're my ride tomorrow…" Her expression became even more lustful as she leaned up to suck on his earlobe then spoke in a low sultry voice, "Mmmm… I could be your _ride_ tonight."

Logan couldn't help but let a small chuckle escape his lips and she laughed softly against his neck for a moment before moving her mouth back to his and sucking on his lower lip before kissing him deeply again. He had tried to keep himself composed, but there was no way he could control him self with the way she was moving against him. _I really hope this isn't a mistake._ He finally allowed his hands to move from the small of her back where he'd tried to keep them positioned. As soon as they started moving down her body and over her ass we felt her moan and kiss him even harder.

Then reality hit him again. "Mmmm…. V-on-ca…" he did his best to try to talk with her kissing him. "…wait." She pulled back for a moment and gave him a slightly amused look. "I don't…" He let out a frustrated sigh. "I was mad earlier and I didn't… I don't have any more condoms."

"Oh, right." She replied then leaned down and kissed him quickly again. "You mumbled something last night about not wanting to screw up opening the only one you had… so I sort of figured…" She gave him an understanding smile. "I grabbed some from my apartment, so I've got you covered." She cracked a bigger smile at her pun, and he let out a small laugh again and shook his head.

He took advantage of her slight change in intensity to try to be rational again with her one last time. "Veronica, there really isn't any rush to do this again right now. I'm not going any where you know. And I still think maybe you need some time to deal with everything."

She shook her head, her soft blond tresses just barely tickling his face. "I've had way too much time Logan… I don't want to spend time thinking anymore… I just want this… to have you…" She looked at him with such a longing expression. _Gone… I'm just gone... No way I'm going to be able to deny her…Obviously self control is still not one of my strong suits either. _He leaned up to kiss her, flipping them quickly as he did. He felt her let out a relieved breath as she moved her hands down to his ass pulling him firmly down against her. He used one arm to brace himself so he wasn't crushing her and ran the other hand down toward her knee before caressing her leg back up toward her thigh. The silky material of her night gown felt so soft against his skin, and his fingers momentarily brushed against the bottom of it before pushing it up slightly to continue up to her hips. It was then that he realized she only had the night gown on and nothing else at all. His senses were already on overdrive before discovering that, and realizing how much she really wanted to be with him pushed him even farther over that edge that he'd just been teetering on. He started to think she was actually trying to keep him from any coherent thought by the way she touched him and the sounds she made. Even when she had to scoot away to retrieve her purse, she didn't give him a moment to rest, pulling him along with her so he wouldn't come down from his blissful high and have an opportunity to try to talk her out of it again.

When they were done she wrapped an arm around his waist and rested her head on his chest. He traced slow circles on her naked back and kissed her gently on top of her head. She'd wrapped one of her legs around his and was running her toe in small patterns on the inside of his calf as they laid there catching their breath. "Do you want me to get you some water? Logan asked a bit breathlessly. He definitely wanted a drink and didn't want her to run off like the night before and not come back to bed. She nodded and turned and gave him a little smile. He quirked one side of his mouth up, and leaned in to give her a quick peck on the lips before he scooted out from under her and headed toward the door. He stopped and grabbed a pair of boxer shorts out of a drawer and bounded down the stairs quickly to grab two bottles of water out of the fridge.

When he got back upstairs, she was sitting up waiting for him with her night gown on again. "Thanks," she said softly as he handed her the water. He could tell there was something on her mind by the way she was looking at him.

He crawled into bed and after taking a few long drinks of this water, gave her a questioning look. "What are you thinking about?" He raised his eyebrow as he asked and ran a hand along her back.

She shrugged and made that face that generally preceded something he wasn't going to want to hear. "It's just…" She let out a small huff of air. "We still have to stay somewhat professional for my case… which I'm sure sounds completely ridiculous…" She rolled her eyes as she spoke. "But this…" she looked at him with a look that seemed to imply that she hoped he understood what she meant "… this shouldn't really be happening, you know?"

"So… no making out passionately if it's just you, me and Agent Bell Boy?" He gave her a sly smile and waggled his eyebrows at her.

She smiled back and nodded. "Yeah, something like that. It's probably okay around Ratner, but if there are other agents around... especially if you need to come in and meet with any of my superiors. You can understand I don't want to seem like I'm compromising the case by being unprofessional... especially after what happened before."

"Okay…" he replied a bit hesitantly. "But when the case is over?"

"We'll cross that bridge when we get there," she said with a reassuring smile. _Why does that not fill me with overwhelming confidence?_ She leaned in and kissed him softly.

They snuggled back up in about the same position they were in before he headed off for the water. He was still thinking through everything that he'd learned, as well as what she'd just told him. It was all making him feel a bit anxious again and not quite ready to fall asleep. "Can I ask you something else?" He finally said in a low voice in case she had actually fallen asleep, though he didn't think her body felt that relaxed yet.

"Okay," she replied a bit tentatively. _Great, she must still have things she hasn't told me if she's worried about more questions. Why did it feel like their roles were completely reversed from when they were in College?_

"I can understand why Wallace wouldn't want me there when I first arrived given he didn't know your fiancé had shot you, but why do you think he never told you later that I'd been there once he knew the full story?"

He felt her take a deep breath and thought she tensed up a little bit. "Veronica?" He asked when she hadn't answered him for a few seconds. He had expected at least an _'I don't know'_ or something. "Do you know why he wouldn't have told you?"

"Yes…" she replied softly and then waited a few moments before she continued. "When he found out… he… um…" He could feel her face squishing up against his chest even though he couldn't see it with the way they were laying. "He called Piz…"

"Oh…" _What the hell? Piz? _He took a deep frustrated breath. She turned and looked up at him with a slightly grimaced expression her face.

"So… well you knew we were still dating when you left… right?" Her expression became a bit more concerned as she spoke.

"Yeah… I guess so… that makes sense…" _I guess I hoped you'd dumped the loser sooner rather than later though._

"Well we took a break when I went off for my summer internship… and then… well we would still run into each other at Hearst of course since he was still living with Wallace… we uh… we ended up dating again half way through Sophomore year." She was watching him carefully as she spoke. "We broke up during Senior year though. I knew I was going to join the FBI when I graduated and well… a college romance was fine, but I knew it wouldn't last with all the strain of being an FBI agent." She took a deep breath and rolled her eyes slightly. "Well… I guess Wallace thought him being around would be good for me… after everything that happened…" _As opposed to fucked up Logan._ She was biting her lip and watching him.

"Did you two…" He didn't even really want to say the words, but still felt like he needed to know.

She shrugged and then nodded, "We got back together for a few months, but… it didn't really work out that time either." She chuckled softly and gave him a grim smile. "I guess Wallace is like one of those kids that keep hoping their divorced parents will get back together if you throw them at each other enough times… he always did love watching those parent trap movies." He could tell she was trying to lighten the mood, but it didn't actually help. She ran her hand over his chest. "You okay?" she finally asked after several minutes of silence.

He forced a small smile and nodded, "Yeah… water under the bridge."_ And the Bridge of Veronica is apparently longer than the Golden Gate Bridge. _She looked at him skeptically then leaned up and placed a soft kiss on his lips. She pulled away from the kiss for a moment, studying his face, and then kissed him one more time before resting her head back on his chest. _I wonder now if Mac didn't agree with Wallace's little match-making plan and that's what they ended up disagreeing over. Of course that's my own damn fault for making her promise not to say anything and then more or less avoiding her for a few months._ She sat up again and leaned over to turn off the lamp on the side table, and then she snuggled up against his chest again. "Good night," she whispered quietly as she ran her hand across his chest.

"Good night," he replied and placed a kiss on the top of her head.

He finally felt her fall asleep a short while later. His mind was still thinking about everything and he couldn't just relax and fall asleep too. _Fiancé that tried to kill her… who reminded her of me… and Piz… were those her only secrets or were those only the ones she'd told me because I'd asked._ He tried to focus on her instead and how she'd been earlier when they were together so that he could push the other worries out of his head. He forced himself to focus on the sound of her breathing and the feel of her chest slowly rising and falling against his. He was finally able to block the other thoughts out long enough to drift off to sleep.


	28. Chapter 28

_**A/N – Another lighter chapter for now. I've loved all the comments on things that I might need to clarify or tweak a bit more in future chapters. It's definitely been tricky writing from only his POV and not turning her into something I don't think she would be, which is someone who just immediately shares every little aspect of what's happened to her.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know what you think with a review!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 28

When Logan woke up in the morning, he cursed silently to himself when he realized he was yet again the only one in the bed. He knew she'd fallen asleep with him, but couldn't help but wonder when she'd left. He laid there silently for a minute listening for any sound of her. "Veronica?" he called out thinking maybe she was just in the bathroom, but there wasn't an answer. _Seriously? _He didn't think she'd actually left since she didn't have a car. _Although knowing her she could always have called for a ride._ He glanced at the clock and saw that it was a little before 7am. He took a deep breath and climbed out of bed, throwing on a t-shirt and a pair of shorts and headed down the stairs._ I can't believe I let myself think it was okay to have sex with her again last night and believed her when she said she wouldn't leave._ When he reached the bottom of the stairs, he realized he could smell coffee. That made him feel a bit more at ease, since she must still be around somewhere or had been earlier at least to start the coffee maker. Then he saw movement out on the patio, catching a black and white blur streak by the French door.

He went over to the doors and opened them to the sounds of female laughter. "Hey baby," Veronica said playfully when she heard the door open. "Your sandwich thief came back to visit you." Archie ran up to him and jumped playfully at him as he walked out onto the patio.

"Hey buddy," Logan said as he squatted down to scratch Archie behind the ears. "Who's a good boy?"

It was a little brisk out and Logan realized he was a bit under dressed given Bryn and Veronica both had long pants and light jackets on. "Um… I think I'd better go put something warmer on." He said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

"There's a blanket right inside the door on one of the couches," Veronica said with a sweet smile. "You can grab it and come out and snuggle with me to keep us both warm."

He smiled back and nodded, a warm feeling coursed through his body with how loving and inviting she seemed this morning. He couldn't help but feel like it was more than just an act for Bryn, since she could have easily just let him go back and get something warmer to wear. _Maybe everything really is okay with us and I just overreacted when she wasn't still in bed with me when I woke up._ He noticed they both had coffee mugs, so he grabbed one for himself, as well as the pot to refill their cups, and headed back out with the blanket tucked under his arm.

Veronica scooted forward on the lounge chair she was sitting on so he could climb in behind her and then she leaned back against him so he could wrap them both up in the blanket. "Thanks," she said with a sweet smile and leaned up to kiss him gently. She took the coffee pot he'd brought out and refilled their cups and poured some for Logan too. Logan realized as he'd sat down that she looked like she had probably been out running when she ran into Bryn and Archie based on what she was wearing. He couldn't help but wonder how early she'd gotten up and gone out on her own. He wrapped his arms around her and placed a few kisses along her shoulder, while he nuzzled his face against the side of her head.

"So Lindsey said you two are headed to Fontana this morning?" Bryn asked with a friendly smile as she picked up her refilled coffee cup. Logan nodded and smiled in reply. "Connor and I went out there once to watch some races. It was fun, but we never made it back out after that one time. We'll have to come and watch you race sometime."

_That would be interesting wouldn't it?_ "Yeah, we'll have to let you know when I'll be racing." He was actually doubtful that Connor would spare some of his valuable Hollywood schmoozing time to go watch races in Fontana. It wasn't quite like being courtside at a Laker's game or some other prestigious sporting event.

Archie had jumped up on the lounge chair with them and was trying to wiggle his way under their blanket too. Logan chuckled at him and reached down to scratch his back. He heard Veronica's stomach growl and couldn't help but laugh at her as well. "Should I whip us up some breakfast? Bryn? Would you like to join us too?"

Bryn gave him a shy smile. "You really don't have to offer to feed me every time I'm here."

Logan shrugged. "Well if I'm making breakfast for us, it's not much more work to make a little extra for you too."

"Fine," she said a little reluctantly. "But seriously, you two are going to have to come and let me feed you soon. Maybe when Connor gets back in town we can have dinner together. Something tells me he'd really like both of you."

Logan tipped his head down to be sure Bryn couldn't see the look on his face and forced back the laugh that had almost spilled out. Even though Veronica couldn't see him, she must have known what his reaction had been, especially since he buried his face against her. "That sounds like a lot of fun," Veronica replied, doing a much better job at not letting on to anything than Logan would have been able to do. Logan thought they'd probably just need to let Connor know what the deal was when he came back if they ran into him. Logan had known Connor for years, and he knew he could trust him to keep things quiet if need be, otherwise he really wouldn't have agreed to rent the house next door to his. They may not have always gotten along when they were younger, but deep down he trusted Connor. He also knew Connor would probably do a better job of selling their cover than Dick could. Being an actor, even a b-list one, Connor could easily play along to any role they asked of him.

Logan put his game face back on and lifted his head again. "Yeah, Lindsey would love that, she was going on and on about how fun it would be to get the chance to meet him, weren't you sweet pea?"

Veronica rolled her eyes and shook her head, she leaned a bit closer to Bryn and spoke in a hushed secretive voice, "Billy here's the one who really has a gigantic man crush on him, don't let him fool you." She reached back and patted his cheek with a devious grin. Bryn just chuckled at both of them.

Veronica's stomach growled again even louder than before. "Okay, that's my cue that if I don't go make food soon, we're all going to be in for a lot of trouble." Logan said in a teasing tone. He huffed out a loud breath as Veronica elbowed him in the side. He laughed and squeezed her a little tighter, placing a kiss at the base of her neck, right below the pony tail that she had her hair pulled up into. He scooted out from the lounge chair, carefully wrapping the blanket back around Veronica and headed back inside toward the kitchen.

As he walked into the kitchen he noticed some of Veronica's file folders were sitting on the island counter by her laptop. He didn't think she'd want Bryn noticing anything suspicious, so he carefully stacked them up and moved them over to a table in the living room. After moving them, he made quick work of pulling out some vegetables to chop up for omelets. His mind wandered back to the breakfast Veronica made him in Sau Paulo and how surreal having her in his house had felt at the time. It was incredible to think of how different things were between them after only a couple of weeks. Now here he was back in California renting a gorgeous house in Malibu for them to share. Even if being there together had initially just been for her case, it had definitely expanded way beyond that now.

The women came in from the patio a few minutes later laughing again and carrying back in the coffee pot and mugs. He noticed Veronica take a quick look around and then once she saw her things in the living room, gave him a quick smile. She refilled their mugs again, and then went about making another pot of coffee while Bryn took a seat at the counter island watching Logan cook the omelets. Archie had also followed them in and wandered into the kitchen so he could watch Logan cook too. He sat patiently behind him, wagging his tail against the floor.

"Seriously, you've got to teach Connor how to cook, Billy." Bryn said as she gave him a sly smile. "Is there a _'Cooking with Billy'_ class I can sign him up for? I swear he doesn't even know how to properly make toast."

Logan laughed heartily at the thought of him giving Connor cooking lessons. Of course Bryn didn't know the real reason he found it so funny. Veronica did though and gave him a playful little knowing smile. She wandered over to where he was cooking and pressed up against his back as she ran her hands from his abs up to his chest. "Smells delicious," she said as she kissed him on his shoulder blade. He turned slightly so he could place a quick kiss to her lips. Bryn was trying to call Archie out of the kitchen, and while she was distracted with him, Veronica leaned up to whisper seductively in Logan's ear. "I'm sure there are lots of things you do way better than Connor." His heart rate sped up a bit, not expecting her to say something like that at all. He turned his face back toward her again and captured her lips in a deeper kiss than the quick peck he'd just given her. She gave him a satisfied smile as he turned his face away again to go back to cooking the food. A moment later she pulled away from him and he felt his body instantly miss her being there. She went to get the plates and utensils out for them to use. His mind started thinking back to the prior night again and while he was enjoying their morning so far, he still couldn't shake a nagging feeling that things weren't going to stay like this. Part of what worried him was her comment about still needing to be 'professional'. He couldn't help but feel like that was her excuse to let herself keep him at arms length again when it suited her. At least with Bryn here, he could pretend there weren't any issues and just enjoy being around her. _Is there any possible way I could convince Bryn to just move in with us so I can have this all the time? _He let out a small sigh. _Maybe I'm just looking for issues that aren't there because nothing has ever gone perfectly for us before and I'm having a hard time believing it can be so easy now._ He flipped the finished omelets onto a serving platter to carry them over to the table where the two women were already seated and waiting for him.

Bryn was telling Veronica about a new boutique that had just opened up as they ate their breakfast. Logan spent his time studying Veronica's face as she ate and talked to Bryn. She seemed so carefree and happy again. It was almost like going back in time to when he'd sometimes watch her and Lilly without them even realizing it. The two of them would get so engaged in conversations sometimes, he didn't think they even realized he was around. He knew Veronica and Mac had been good friends too, but he never really saw the two of them just talking and laughing about meaningless things like boutiques and movies. Veronica would glance at him every once in a while and give him little smiles before focusing back on Bryn. Once Logan was done with his omelet he put his arm around her shoulder and she leaned into him a bit more as she continued to eat and talk to Bryn. He placed a kiss to the top of her head and then rested his cheek against her head, closing his eyes for a brief minute. He was glad they were having an enjoyable breakfast together, but he couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if it had been just the two of them. _Why can't I let that nagging feeling go and just enjoy this? _

Soon the women were finished as well and they all took their plates into the kitchen. Bryn thanked them for breakfast and said she needed to get going since she had a meeting with her agent a little later in the morning.

As soon as she left, Veronica gave him a wistful look. "You know, I'd forgotten how much I missed living right by the ocean." She continued on with a slightly sheepish grin, "I'm actually really glad you insisted on renting a place at the beach now."

"And you thought I was just being pretentious didn't you?" He teased back. "I knew you'd like it just as much as I do. I don't see how you can stand living in the middle of the city surrounded by buildings." He shook his shoulders in an exaggerated shiver.

She shook her head at him as she headed over toward her computer and files. "Hey, thanks for moving these off the counter for me," she said with a smile as she picked them up and walked back toward her bag that was on the floor near one of the stools at the kitchen island.

"Sure," Logan answered as he picked up a pen she'd had out on the counter and started flipping it around in his hand, "I wasn't sure if you'd want her seeing them, so thought it best to just move them out of the way." He'd been thinking more about her case and about the guy possibly being in Sau Paulo at some point. He put the pen down and gave her a pointed look. "Do you have a picture of the guy you're after?"

Veronica hesitated for a moment with a thoughtful expression on her face. "Yeah, but it's an old one, from when Victoria was working the case. He doesn't look the same now or we would have been able to spot him."

"Right of course." Logan still wondered what the guy looked like. "Can I see the picture anyway?" Logan actually thought he was pretty good at identifying people even if they had tried to change their appearance. He wasn't sure why, but ever since he was little and going to movie sets with his parents, he'd noticed it. Maybe it was from spending time sitting and watching some of the special effects crew put the make-up on to transform actors into looking differently. As he watched them, he seemed to still see the special characteristics that made that person unique even when they had all the make-up applied.

Veronica took a deep breath then shrugged. "Yeah, I guess that's okay. But we probably shouldn't mention this to Ratner, okay?"

Logan nodded and gave her a reassuring look. She opened one of the folders and flipped through the papers and pictures until she found the one she was looking for and pulled it out and handed it to him. Logan sucked in a deep breath and felt a slight wave of unease pass through him as he stared down at the picture. His curiosity of whether he'd ever seen him in Brazil instantly answered as he looked at the man in the picture. He had light brown hair that was a little on the long side with sun faded ends, and a bushy beard that made him look a bit rough around the edges. But it was the piercing, troubled greenish-gray eyes that he'd never really forget. She must have noticed his reaction. "Do you know him?"

Logan shrugged, "I wouldn't say I know him, but I do remember seeing him in Sau Paulo." A shiver coursed through his body. "We were at a party after one of the races and I remember him being there because I didn't like the way he was looking at Gabriela. There was something unsettling about him. I couldn't put my finger on it, but I kept my eye on him and kept her close to me that night because something just seemed dangerous about him. I think it was his eyes. They reminded me... they reminded me of how Aaron's eyes would look sometimes." Logan looked up from the picture finally, gazing into Veronica's sparkling blue eyes instead. She stood there with a slightly surprised expression on her face.

"Do you remember who he was with at the party?" Veronica asked, her surprise quickly replaced by curiosity. He could tell she was already back in investigator mode.

Logan shook his head. "It was so long ago, and drivers did come and go over the years. I don't really remember ever seeing him down in the pits or at a party after that night though. But the pit area was so big, and I mostly just stayed in my own area."

She nodded and gave him an understanding smile. "Do you remember if Luis was racing then?" He'd wondered how involved she thought Luis had been since she also seemed pretty interested in Raul the prior night too. He'd also wondered if she had gotten so friendly with Juliana because she'd suspected Luis of being involved from the start. It did seem likely that if the suspect had contacts in Fontana and Sau Paulo, that the two of them being cousins might be a connection.

Logan stood there staring at the picture again, trying to remember back. "Yeah, now that you mention it, I know Luis was racing before Victoria had been there, and the party was only a few weeks before that. I don't remember seeing Luis at the party though, so I don't know if he was with the guy or not."

Veronica nodded again. "If you remember anything else you think will help, let me know."

He nodded and handed the picture back to her. "Thanks for trusting me and letting me see it." She smiled and took the picture from his hand and replaced it in the folder before putting it into her bag with the other folders and her laptop.

She glanced past him and looked out the window for a moment with an almost troubled expression on her face. He couldn't help but wonder what she was thinking about. _Was she thinking about the case or about them?_ He was still concerned that she may not have stayed the entire night in bed with him, which led him to worry about how she was really feeling about everything. He watched as she finally looked back at him and gave him a small smile. "Well, I'm going to head up to take a shower and get ready to go to Fontana." She turned and started walking to the stairs but then she stopped and looked back at him curiously.

He raised his eyebrows and gave her a questioning look. "After all your offers in Sau Paulo to shower together, I'm surprised you stopped now." She had a playfully seductive smile on her face as she spoke. If she had been uneasy a moment ago, that seemed to have completely vanished now. Part of him knew he shouldn't just pretend he hadn't sensed something, but the smile she was giving him was just too much. He gave her a lascivious grin as he quickly moved over toward her. He picked her up and spun her around as he kissed her deeply. He realized he hadn't really felt like this in so long. Even if things weren't perfect between them yet, he convinced himself that he should just enjoy things as they happened and try not to worry about everything so much. She let out a low sultry laugh after their mouths separated and grabbed his hand, pulling him up to the master suite.

The shower, like the rest of the house, was extremely luxurious with multiple heads and lots of space. As he pushed her wet panting body up against the tiles he couldn't think of anything again but how good her hot naked body felt against his. Her moans and cries for more completely overwhelmed him and he couldn't focus on anything besides the sensations coursing through his body. _Dick was probably right. She is like an addiction to me that I don't think I'll ever be able to completely get over._ At that moment in time though, he couldn't imagine why he'd ever want to. No woman had ever made him feel the way she had for some reason. He'd thought he'd found that again with Gabriela, but looking back now, now that he had been with Veronica again, he knew it was only a close second. He knew he had only been fooling himself when he thought he could come back to get closure and then move on and find someone else to make him happy. _No one will ever be able to complete me the way she does. I just need to figure out how to make her see that too and how to keep her forever this time. _


	29. Chapter 29

_**A/N – I didn't realize how long this chapter had gotten, but it's not long enough to split into two, so enjoy! I also stumbled up against a downfall of publishing as I write, which was wanting to change something I've already published. It's nothing major and I'll go back and fix the other chapter, but I'm changing how long ago it was Veronica was in Seattle to more like 3 months instead of 6 months. It just works better with other parts I'm working on now. It's also mentioned again in this chapter.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know what you think with a review!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 29

Logan was really trying to not obsess over things and just enjoy being with Veronica, but he couldn't forget about waking up all alone again that morning. After their time in the shower, she'd gotten dressed pretty quickly and was about to go back into the bathroom to finish getting ready. He was still in his towel and stopped her as she walked by him, wrapping his arms around her waist.

She spun in his arms to look at him and gave him a small smile while she stared up at him with her vibrant blue eyes. "I missed waking up next to you this morning," he said as he stared down at her. He reached up with one hand and twirled some of her damp hair around his fingers.

"Well you did get to take a pretty amazing shower with me," she said with a mischievous grin.

He couldn't help but smile at that, but still wondered when she'd actually gotten out of bed. "What time did you actually get up? Was it pretty early?" He asked as he watched her carefully.

She nodded. "Yeah… I couldn't sleep, so I went down stairs and ended up working on my case files for a while, and then when the sun came up I went for a jog on the beach."

"What time did you actually go downstairs then?" He asked again, since she hadn't really answered that question.

She sighed, "I don't know, maybe 3:30 or 4."

"Veronica…" That sinking feeling was back again that she still wasn't really completely comfortable being with him because of what had happened when she was shot. _Yet she didn't seem to hesitate to lure me up to the shower a little while ago._

"What?" She gave him a look that clearly conveyed she thought he was being ridiculous which carried through to her tone. "I just couldn't get back to sleep when I woke up. I went downstairs to look for some chamomile tea because I thought I saw some in the kitchen yesterday, and then just got wrapped up in some of my case stuff."

He cupped her chin with his hand and gently ran his thumb across her cheek. "Are you sure there's nothing wrong? It would be completely understandable given what happened to you. If there is, I wish you'd talk to me instead of just avoiding the topic."

She shook her head and practically rolled her eyes. "No Logan, there's nothing wrong. I just woke up and couldn't get back to sleep. That's all it was. Nothing more. Don't make a big deal out of it okay?"

He nodded and placed a quick kiss on her forehead before he dropped his arms and let her continue on her way to the bathroom. He wished he could just believe her, but unfortunately he was pretty sure she was lying. He really hoped he was wrong, but he'd seen her tell enough lies when they were younger to know the difference between her lying and being completely honest. Maybe she'd never realized how carefully he used to study her when she'd lie to her dad about things they did, or to other people too, but he'd never forgotten the little tells she had. Maybe she just needed more time, but he wished she'd slow things down if that's what was going on. He knew he wasn't the one pushing her, and now that he was pretty sure that she was still having a hard time with everything he vowed to try to slow down. _Of course that means I can't let her lure me into the shower again with that seductive little smile of hers._

He quickly got dressed and grabbed the things he'd wanted to take to Fontana with him and said he'd meet her downstairs. She was ready to go shortly after and asked if they could stop by her apartment for her camera since she'd left it there when she went back to LA before the party.

They ran into a traffic delay on their way back to LA, and were slowly moving along when her cell phone rang. He turned off the radio so it would be quiet for her to talk, and noticed she looked at the caller ID and must have hit ignore instead of answering it.

"Didn't you want to take that?" He asked, a bit surprised by her reaction.

She shook her head. "No they can just leave a message."

He was sitting there wondering who it might be, while keeping track of the slow moving traffic. She'd turned the radio back on after ignoring the call and then after several minutes her phone rang again. She let out a frustrated sigh and picked it up off her lap. "Oh, it's Ratner. I'd better take this." Logan glanced over and nodded and reached up to turn off the radio again for her.

"Hey Jeff, what's up?" Veronica said into her phone as she put it up to her ear.

With the radio off again and the car barely moving along because of the traffic issues, it was extremely quiet in the car and Logan could hear the voice come through on the other end very clearly.

"_It's not Ratner, it's Trevor._"

"What…"

"_Well you wouldn't answer my calls, so I had him transfer me to you._" Veronica shifted the phone to her other ear as a small growl came out of her throat. _Like moving it over there is going to make that much of a difference in me not hearing what he's saying._

"_Don't get mad at Ratner. I lied and said I deleted your name from my phone when I left. I didn't know what else to do since you wouldn't answer my calls_."

Logan glanced over at her, but she was looking out her window and not toward him at all. _Calls? So that wasn't the first one she'd ignored._

"I'm busy on a case. This isn't a good time."

"_I know, and that's why I'm calling... Well part of why I'm calling... I know I've said I'm sorry at least a hundred times, Veronica, but thought I'd try again. I really miss you V. I'm in LA and was hoping you'd have dinner with me so we could talk, please?_"

"No, that's not happening."

"_Come on Veronica. I really am sorry. I know I should have had your back and I didn't._"

"No you didn't… We've been through this. There's nothing more to say. I need to go now."

"_Wait… I wanted to give you a heads up on your case._"

"What about _my_ case?"

"_The DC office wanted me to come out and get briefed on it so we had someone on the East Coast up to speed to keep an eye on things out there._"

"Damn it, Trevor. Did you intentionally volunteer just so you would have an excuse to come back out here?"

"_No Veronica, the section manager asked me too… Well he also knew we used to be partners and you were involved with the case..._"

Veronica let out an angry frustrated sigh.

"_So will you reconsider having dinner with me?_"

"No."

"_Can I at least just come by your place so we can talk and try to work things out?_"

"No."

"_Well I guess I'll see you at the briefing this afternoon. I think the meeting will be at 1pm. Peters was going to get back to me later after he got a hold of you and set it up. I just thought… I thought I'd try to give you a heads up before you got blindsided by him... I know I fucked up before and let you down and I don't want to do that again. I really am sorry Veronica._"

Veronica didn't say anything else and Logan wasn't sure if the call was over and she was just holding the phone up to her ear still or not. Since traffic was still just barely moving, he'd been watching her most of the call and could tell from her tone and posture that she was furious about it. She was still looking out her window mostly, and given she was wearing large dark sunglasses, he would have a hard time reading her expression anyway.

"_I really do miss you and I wish you'd reconsider getting together to talk. Just think about it and let me know after the meeting. Bye Veronica_."

She finally dropped the phone back down to her lap and stared straight ahead for a moment.

"You heard all of that?" She finally asked, still just staring straight ahead and not looking at Logan.

"Um… yeah." Logan wasn't quite sure what to do, but didn't want to lie either. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Veronica took a deep breath. "Not really much to say."

"Okay…" _Yeah, I'm positive there's actually a lot to say. Guys don't beg for forgiveness like that when there's 'not much to say'. Fuck. I wish she'd stop being so closed off and just talk to me. _

Traffic finally cleared and they made it to her apartment about 15 minutes later.They had driven the rest of the way in silence after her phone call. She had received a text message shortly after the call that she replied back to, which he guessed was probably regarding the meeting.

He pulled into a visitor space in the parking garage of the apartment and turned off the car. She was still averting her gaze and looking straight ahead. "So I'll need to go into my office for a while now."

"Right."

"I'll call you later and see how things are going and see if I can meet up with you in Fontana."

"Veronica…" He reached over and gently squeezed her hand.

She finally turned toward him. He reached up and pushed her glasses up on top of her head so he could actually see her eyes. He gave her a half smile and gently pulled her head closer to his. "Please don't start shutting me out now," he said in a soft plea. Her expression was troubled but she smiled ever so slightly and nodded. He leaned in closer and placed a soft kiss on her lips. After the kiss he left his head resting against hers and heard her take a deep breath. She pressed her lips to his again and kissed him almost desperately.

When she pulled away slightly, she was a bit breathless. "Come upstairs with me?" She asked in a soft needy voice.

He knew that voice and that was exactly what he didn't want to have happen. He took a deep breath before he answered. "Only if you want to talk, Veronica."

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath before she spoke again. "I don't… There isn't anything to talk about. I don't know what you expect me to say."

He gently stroked the fingers of her hand he was holding and looked at her as compassionately as he possibly could. "Please stop holding everything inside. I swear I don't want to hurt you and it's okay for you to be vulnerable with me. You don't always have to be a tough FBI agent when you're with me. I want to be with all of you again, even the parts you don't always want other people to see."

She swallowed before she spoke again. "Logan, I don't… I really don't know what you expect me to tell you. So yeah, I sort of got involved with another agent, it didn't work out. End of story. I haven't grilled you on every woman you've hooked up with."

_Yeah right, you just saved that for Gabriela. And how many of the 'other women' I've been with have called and begged for forgiveness like that. Oh right, none. _Logan took a deep breath and nodded. He was trying not to get angry at her last comment and what that implied, but he wasn't doing a very good job at it. "Okay. I uh… I really do need to go and meet Weevil at the track."

She nodded, and gave him a grim smile, but even after her curt reply he thought he still detected a bit of disappointment in her expression about him leaving. He knew though given that kiss and her breathless request that she was trying to use physical intimacy again as a way to get around actually discussing things with him. He couldn't help but wonder when she started doing that, because that was never something she used to do.

"I'll get a hold of you later when I know what's going on with work." She said in what sounded like a frustrated tone.

He still had his hand resting up by her neck and pulled her in for one more kiss. He pulled back from her lips then kissed her quickly on the forehead before letting go of her and sitting back up straight in his seat. They each said a quick goodbye and then she climbed out of the car and headed to the elevator. He waited until she entered and the door closed before he started the car again and headed for the track.

On the way to the track he was originally thinking over all his concerns about Veronica, but then the closer he got he started thinking back to the first time he'd gone to Fontana. He was probably about five, and Aaron was working on a movie where he was going to be driving fast cars and had set up time at the track to work with one of the drivers there so he could do some of his own driving while they filmed. Lynn had suggested Aaron take Logan along since she knew how much he loved his toy cars. At five, Logan still believed that if only he could behave well enough, that Aaron wouldn't hurt him. It wasn't until he was much older that he realized no matter what he did, Aaron would find something to use as an excuse to abuse him. He remembered Aaron warning him to be on his best behavior and he sat patiently waiting in the pit area while Aaron was out driving. There was an older mechanic there, though thinking back the guy was probably only around forty, who started talking to Logan while he waited. He remembered the guy being extremely patient with him and asked Logan if he wanted to help him fix something on the car he was working on. He showed him how to use the tool and what way to turn it to tighten whatever bolt he was putting back on. Logan had enjoyed it, until he got back into Aaron's car and didn't realize he'd gotten grease on his elbow, which then smeared all over the seat. As he continued to drive toward Fontana, Logan shuddered trying to erase the scene of what happened when they got home and Aaron found the grease on the seat from his mind.

When Logan finally arrived at the track he checked in with the on duty security guard in a small building near the entrance to the stadium area. Ratner had arranged for him to pick up the trailer keys from them for whenever Logan arrived. The security guard handed him the keys and pointed him in the right direction to his trailer. He didn't see Weevil around yet, or his race car, so parked by the trailer then went inside to call him. He checked the fridge as he waited for Weevil to answer and smiled when he saw Ratner had stocked it with bottled water as well as some ice teas and some of Veronica's favorite soda. He grabbed a bottle of ice tea as he took a seat on the couch.

"Hey man," Weevil said as he finally answered. "Damn LA traffic. We ran into a delay, but hopefully we'll be there in another 30 minutes."

"No problem," Logan replied half heartedly. He was back to obsessing over his issues with Veronica and wasn't in a rush to drive at the moment anyway.

After he hung up with Weevil he stared at his phone for a while before finally deciding to call Mac. He wasn't sure she'd be able or willing to tell him much, but he really wanted to talk to someone instead of just sitting alone obsessing about everything.

"Hey Mac," he said as she answered.

"Logan! I'm so glad you called. I was wondering how things were going down there. I got a bit worried after my call with Veronica since she seemed... irritated?"

"Yeah, she didn't know we'd stayed in touch and things were a little... tense until we talked through it all."

"Oh... sorry about that."

"No, it's not your fault at all. We've... We've never been the best at communication."

Mac laughed softly at that. "So things are better now?"

Logan let out a deep breath.

"I take it that's a no?" Mac asked in a hesitant tone?

"Things with us always seem to be so..."

"Complicated?" She offered.

"Yeah that's putting it nicely. She uh... She finally told me about her ex-fiance though."

"Oh, she told you about Morgan?"

_Morgan... Logan... Yeah that's not similar at all, fuck._ "Did you ever meet him?"

"Yeah..."

"She said he reminded her of me. How similar were we?"

"Um... Well he was a couple inches shorter I think..."

"And?"

"Well if you ever had a doppelganger out there I would have said she found him..."

"As bad as Parent Trap sort of separated twin thing?"

"Yeah… almost…" she made a nervous laughing sort of sound.

"You can imagine that's made things a bit difficult and would have been good to know earlier." He didn't want to get mad at Mac, but he couldn't help being a bit frustrated.

"Well... He's in prison now and... And you didn't want to talk to me for a while after that day in LA... So... I don't know... I'm sorry."

He blew out a frustrated breath. "I know, sorry Mac. It's not your fault. But fuck… psychotic doppelganger, just great… maybe we were separated at birth… he'd be like a chip off my old man… fuck…"

"Logan… I don't think it's probably as bad as you think it is."

Logan let out a deep breath. "Did she talk to you much about it after... after she was shot?"

Mac was silent for a few moments before she finally replied. "No... She seemed to really close herself off even more right after... And then... Well..."

"I also know Wallace called Piz."

"Yeah, so there was that."

"I thought they would have been over way before that… He didn't seem… I don't know…" He had tried not to let Veronica know how much that bothered him, but that didn't mean that it hadn't. His frustration was probably evident in his tone.

"Logan… Piz was…" she hesitated a moment. "Ugh, I shouldn't be saying this but… Piz was like this easy space for Veronica to retreat to. They weren't… I mean he was nice and all but… When they were first together I asked her if she was happy, and she told me she was happy enough… I think that's what Piz was, just this person she could be happy enough with so she didn't have to feel alone… No highs, no lows, just some happy medium… I know that's probably a horrible thing for me to say… but that's how I saw it… I don't know… I don't know if Wallace actually saw something different, or he was just happy with her being content… or if he thought being content was the same thing as really being happy… obviously we didn't really see eye to eye on all that."

He let out a sigh "Yeah, I sort of get that. I was there for part of it remember… but then there's the whole issue of her ex-fiancé… Morgan. I'm worried when she's with me now... That I remind her of him… of Morgan." _Not sure I like knowing we had such similar names now either, damn it._

"Logan... I'm sure that's not true..."

"You haven't... I can't really explain it... But I think I do..." He started picking at the label of his ice tea bottle. "You said we were practically the same… imagine what that's got to be like for her."

"Did you talk to her about it?" Mac's voice had softened more and was a bit more hesitant now.

"Yeah... But you know her... She just denied it, but I think she's either subconsciously or intentionally denying it. I can just sense there's something there even if she doesn't want to admit it."

"Maybe she just needs some time."

"Yeah that's what I thought too." He went silent for a moment, picking at the label again. "Hey do you know anything about a guy named Trevor she was dating? Probably more recently."

Mac sighed. "No, we haven't talked that much lately... Wait... Is he an agent too?"

"Yeah."

"I think he was working with her on the case in Seattle when she was here about three months ago. She mentioned needing to go meet him and he may have called when we were having dinner too. But I didn't realize they were dating."

"She probably would have kept it quiet if they were working together... Did she seem better... happy... when she was in Seattle?"

"I don't know..." He could sense that she was getting more uncomfortable by her tone now. _Does that mean she actually was happy with Trevor before he did something to screw it up?_

"It's okay Mac... I'm sorry I shouldn't have asked that... I'm just trying to figure out what's going on with her."

"Just give her time... You've only been back less than a week right?"

"Yeah... I'm sure you're right... thanks Mac."

"Of course."

"Do you think you'll be able to come see us? I've rented a pretty sweet place at the beach." He tried to sound more upbeat than he felt.

"I'd mentioned it to Veronica and was waiting to hear back. I'm sure she's really busy with the case though."

"Yeah... I'll talk to her and let you know. You could hang out with me and Dick when she's working." He smirked to himself picturing her reaction.

"Ha ha, you're quite funny. I don't think I'd quite measure up to the company he's used to keeping, given he's surrounded by models all day long." Logan knew Dick had hired Mac to do tech support for his company and set up their website. She'd texted complaints to Logan frequently about what a pain in her ass he was being.

"They've got nothing on you, Mac."

"I'm afraid we might break him though if he was around too many people who are actually more intelligent than a fifth grader."

"You know you shouldn't insult fifth graders, Mac."

She laughed and for a moment he didn't feel quite as crappy as he had earlier.

"Thanks for talking, Mac."

"Anytime, Logan." He could hear the smirk start in her tone. "I wouldn't want to have my best investor unhappy with me."

"Never, Mac."

They said goodbye and Logan flopped back onto the couch, kicking his legs up waiting for Weevil to get there with the car. His mind now swimming with thoughts about Morgan and Trevor. Trying to figure out what to say or do to get her to really open up and be completely honest. _How ironic that she was the one so many years ago that wanted to get to a place where we could be 'really intimate' but now that they're her secrets that she doesn't want uncovered it's entirely different._

His ruminations were interrupted by a pounding on the trailer door. He yelled come in and turned his head to look at the door.

"Sorry if I'm interrupting your nap time, Mr. Lazy Ass." Weevil teased him as he came in and shut the door behind him.

"Yeah, well if some of us would plan better for traffic I wouldn't be wasting time sitting in here on my ass." He meant to say it in a joking tone, but he was still frustrated about Veronica and it came out a bit terse.

Weevil scowled at him and shook his head. "Glad to see being back in Cali has put you in such a good mood. Things not any better with the little missus I presume."

_If having some of the best sex I've ever had counted then yes, but that's not what really matters to me now_. He shrugged and didn't answer.

"Still fighting with each other?"

Logan shook his head. "No that's better. Just... We're just trying to get to know each other again."

"Yeah cuz you've changed so much." Weevil said it a bit sarcastically but Logan could tell he was just trying to goad him into arguing and didn't really mean it.

"Yeah you're right. I'm still the same fucked up 19 year old asshole who ran off to Brazil instead of staying where I should have."

He could tell from Weevil's expression that he was expecting a different response from Logan than what he got. Weevil let out a deep breath and sat in one of the chairs kicking his feet out in front of him and crossing his arms across his chest.

"Okay, what happened while we were gone?"

Logan had never told Weevil about the trip to LA when she was shot. Logan turned his face back toward the ceiling and covered his head with one of his arms. "You swear you won't tell her I told you? Not that all her friends here didn't know and if we'd been here we would have too."

"Yeah, yeah, pinky promise swear... whatever man... tell me what happened to V."

"She got engaged and then her fiancé turned out to be some criminal dirt bag and he shot her." He decided to leave off the doppelganger portion.

"Well shit. That's pretty messed up." Weevil said in an angry tone. He studied Logon for a few moments. "But that's not your fault you know?"

"Yeah, she said that too." Logan hesitated a moment. "But if I'd been here… maybe it wouldn't have happened."

"She's an FBI field agent Logan," Weevil countered back. "She's likely to put herself in dangerous situations whether or not you're there to protect her. I know you were there for her several times when you were younger, but her life is different now."

"That doesn't make it any easier."

"Never said it would. What time's your practice time?"

Logan glanced at his phone. "In about an hour, 1 o'clock." _Same time Veronica gets to hang out with her other ex._

"Okay, that should give me enough time to get the car unloaded and things checked out. Take it easy for a few laps though to be sure everything seems okay after the flight. Did you have lunch?" Logan shook his head. Weevil nodded and continued on. "I think there's an In and Out not far from her if you want to go and grab some for all of us."

"Sure. Are all the guys that came up with you?"

"Yep, so 6 counting you and me. Always warms my heart when I get to send you out to play my lunch… lackey."

Logan laughed, "Thanks for keeping it PG for me man."

Weevil smirked and stood up. "I'm sure I'll regret saying this... But I can tell how much you still love her... Don't screw it up by being your old overly obsessive self. You may never get another chance, and I don't want to deal with you then. You're already a pain in my ass and I can only imagine how bad you'll be if you screw it up, so don't."

Logan shook his head and gave him a grim smile. "I wouldn't want _you_ to be inconvenienced."

"Good." Weevil gave him a little wink and headed back out the door.


	30. Chapter 30

_**A/N – As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. I'm always so thrilled with how many reviews I've been getting on every chapter (mostly on FF but I love all the AO3 comments too!). I really do appreciate getting everyone's perspectives because sometimes what I intended doesn't always come through exactly right, so then I can try to clarify things or tweak their behavior a bit to make it better as we go. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 30

By the time Logan made it back with food and drinks from In and Out for the crew they had the car unloaded and all their gear set up. They took a quick break to eat, and then Logan went back to the trailer to change into his racing suit. After taking a few laps at a moderate pace, he realized it actually felt pretty good to drive and focus on a new track and nothing else. He was too focused on how the car was performing to let anything else occupy his thoughts. He'd been racing in Sau Paulo so long that it seemed like he knew every little surface of the entire track. He knew Fontana was a little shorter, but also being just a D-oval shape, much simpler than the multi-cornered track he had been driving on in Brazil. Bored and dizzy suddenly came to mind after a few more laps though. He wasn't really either of those, but sort of missed the complexity of the other track more than he expected to. There were a few things that felt off with the car after he finished several laps so he pulled back into the garage area so Weevil and the other guys could work on it. He'd picked up a wrench and was twirling it in his hand while he stood there watching them.

He was surprised when a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind. "Hey there Speed Racer, how's it going?"

He turned to see Veronica's face lit up with a huge smile. She leaned up on her tip toes and pressed her lips to his, wrapping her arms around his neck while she ran her fingers along his hair line. _The things she can do to me with just the slightest touch._ She finally pulled away leaving them both a bit breathless.

"Hey sweetheart... I didn't expect to see you so early." Logan said with a playful grin on his face.

She shrugged and kept the smile. "The meeting at the magazine was pulled up earlier so I headed out here when it was over. David gave me a ride out here and I was hoping I could catch a ride home with you."

"Of course," he said with a smile as he reached up and brushed a few strands of hair out of her face. He really hadn't expected to see her so early since he thought her meeting started at 1 and it was about an hour out to the track. She must have gotten the meeting pulled up quite a bit to be out there already. He knew he needed to play his part in all of this and really needed to stop worrying about the issues he still thought they needed to deal with. "I'm glad you're here," he said as he wrapped his arms around her waist and picked her up slightly to kiss her again, giving her a little spin too. "Do you want to check out the trailer? I think we have time while the guys finish adjusting the car."

She nodded and looked quickly around the garage area. He glanced around as well to see what she might be checking for. He caught sight of Ratner walking with another guy that he didn't recognize. The new guy definitely hadn't been at the party the night before. They were headed over to talk with a driver that Logan remembered meeting at the party, though he couldn't recall his name. _So is that Trevor or another agent?_ The guy was about the same height as Ratner, and had short blond hair. He definitely was more muscular than Jeff, but that wasn't saying much. Logan caught him glance over in their direction for a moment, before he turned the other way back to the driver they were talking to.

"Did you need to stick with David to take pictures?" He asked as he gestured with his head in their direction. He'd noticed she had her camera bag over her shoulder.

"I could spare a few minutes to check out the trailer." She said with a sweet inviting smile.

"I'll be back in a few minutes," Logan yelled over his shoulder at Weevil as he took her hand and started leading her to the trailer. It was a bit father to his trailer here than in Brazil since he was new and the better spots were already taken. They walked hand in hand and smiled at a few other people as they passed them on their way.

Logan dug the key out of his breast pocket and opened the door with a flourish. He was actually a bit nervous because he wasn't exactly sure what to expect when they were inside alone together. Their departure at her apartment hadn't been all that cordial. He wasn't sure why but he also had a sudden flash back to the first time he'd been alone with her in his trailer in Brazil after the entire Cecilia misunderstanding.

She stood in the middle of the main room and spun around taking it all in. It was a little smaller than his trailer in Brazil, but it was newer, so it was actually more nicely designed. He'd locked the door behind them so they wouldn't get surprised by any interruptions.

She stopped turning and faced him again. He took a step closer and smiled down at her. Weevil was right, he needed to not screw this up, and constantly worrying and pushing her was not going to do any good for either of them. "Hi," he said in a shy quiet voice as he moved even closer and leaned down toward her face, touching his forehead to hers, but not yet kissing her. He reached down and intertwined his hands with both of hers. She looked up at him with his favorite shy smile and said hi back.

"I'm glad you made it out here earlier than I expected, even if it is just to investigate." He could feel a warm feeling settle over him again as she gently stroked his fingers with hers.

"Yeah, I um…" She took a deep breath like she was psyching herself up to continue. "I didn't like how we left things at my apartment, so I got the meeting moved up so I could come out here earlier to see you." She gave him what seemed like an apologetic smile.

"Really?" He asked, actually surprised that she went to that much effort for him. She nodded and squeezed his hands a little more as she pressed her lips to his and kissed him. The kiss didn't last very long though, and she bit her lip almost nervously as she pulled away from him.

"Thank you," he said earnestly, which earned him an even bigger smile from her.

She nodded then started looking around the trailer a bit more. "Ratner did a pretty good job with the trailer don't you think?"

Logan nodded in reply. "He even stocked the fridge with your favorite soda. Would you like one, or do you need to get back out to your buddies?"

"I'll maybe grab one later. You're right, I should go and catch up with them, but they also know I need to keep up my cover with you too." She paused and gave him a curious look. "Is your crew going to think it's odd that we're _engaged_ now? I hadn't thought about that until I saw some of the same guys from Sau Paulo."

Logan shrugged, "I guess we just need to keep up the madly in love performance." _Not that it's all that hard to do that with her._ He paused and then grimaced a bit and she gave him a questioning look. _Warts and all... If I keep being honest maybe it will inspire her to be more honest too. _"They hadn't really seen me with anyone at the races since Gabriela, and they weren't even all around back then, so the fact I came to LA with you should already prove I was really smitten with you."

She smiled a bit more at his 'smitten' comment. "Ahhh... Smitten for your kitten?" She teased as she swung their hands a little bit in almost a childish manner.

He shook his head and dropped her hands so he could cup her face instead. "You know very well you're no kitten..." He took a deep breath and then brushed some hair off her face with one of his hands. "You'll always be a Bobcat to me."

She stared intently into his eyes for a moment then leaned in and kissed him more passionately than she had a few moments before. "Yes I will," she said a bit breathlessly after the kiss.

He took a deep breath, trying to reign back in his physical reaction to her. "Okay, I'd better get back out and see if the car's ready to go again. I only have about another hour of track time this afternoon." _Because if we stay in here much longer, I'm not sure I'm going to be able to resist trying out the pull out couch._

She nodded and smiled in understanding. "Yeah, I really should go and catch up with the other two agents."

"Is uh... the guy with Ratner... is that Trevor?"

Her smile faded a bit and she nodded again. She looked like she was bracing for a jealous reaction from him, which if he hadn't been focusing on preventing, she may have actually gotten. Instead Logan just smiled and nodded. "You seemed pretty mad at him in the car. Be sure to let me know if I can help you with him at all, okay?"

Her expression seemed a bit surprised and she nodded. He gave her a mischievous look. "You look much too unruffled to have been in here this long with your fiancé."

She matched his grin but raised her eyebrows in a questioning way. She'd worn her hair down so he put his hands up to her head and messed up her wavy hair a bit more.

He took a step back and looked at her, studying her carefully. He untucked her shirt from her slacks, gently grazing his fingers lightly along her skin as he did. Her eyes opened a bit in surprise, but she didn't object either. "Maybe a little hickey..."

"Don't even think about it!" She said in a warning tone, but she still had a smile on her face.

He leaned his neck out toward her. "I dare you to give me one then."

She laughed and shook her head. He raised his eyebrow in a challenging look. She bit her lip for a moment and looked like she was seriously considering it when her cell phone beeped. She glanced at the screen then back at him. "Ratner's looking for me, so I'd better go."

Logan gave her an understanding smile and went to open the door for her. She waited at the bottom of the trailer steps as he relocked the door and wrapped his arm around her shoulders to make their way back toward the garage area. When they got back to his car, he pulled her toward him and placed a deep kiss on her lips. He of course secretly hoped that Trevor was nearby and saw it, though he wouldn't have admitted that to her. "See you when I'm done driving?" He asked in a low husky voice. She smiled and nodded, then placed one more kiss on his lips before she headed off to find Ratner.

When Logan turned around he saw Weevil staring at him with a questioning look on his face. Logan smiled and grabbed his helmet. "Is she all ready to go?"

Weevil shook his head, and then nodded. "Yeah your car's ready to go."

"Thanks man," Logan said as he pulled on his helmet and climbed back into the car. The issues he'd noticed before with the car had all been fixed and he enjoyed the rest of the laps he took. Even though the time with Veronica didn't really fix any of the issues with them, it still made him feel better, and he wasn't as anxious as he'd been earlier. The fact that she pulled up the meeting to come out to see him, meant more to him than she may have even realized. When he finally did his last lap and pulled into the pit area again, he noticed Raul was hanging out near Weevil.

"Nice driving," Raul said as Logan climbed out of his car and removed his helmet.

"Thanks," Logan replied, "You driving this afternoon too?"

Raul nodded, "Yeah I've got the spot after you. Since we've got over a week until the next race though, I don't think I'm going to use my full time, but it gives me something to do while I wait for Heidi to get off work to meet me for dinner."

Logan nodded and glanced around to see if Veronica was near by. Raul must have noticed, "I saw your fiancé over in the next garage with a couple of the journalists taking photos while they interviewed one of the other drivers."

"Thanks man," Logan said with a head nod.

"Hey if you two want to join us, we're meeting at the Lazy Dog for dinner. It's West of here right off San Bernardino. I'd rather just go to the dive bar that's up the street that a lot of the other racing crew hang out at, but Heidi's vetoing that bar lately. Plus there's a patio at the Lazy Dog that allows dogs, and then she can bring Zippy with her.

"I'll check with Lindsey when she's done and see what she says. What time should we be there if she wants to?" Logan really didn't want to spend the evening with Raul, but if she wanted to for her case, he knew he'd better not pass up the offer.

"We're meeting at about 6:00. Heidi works at a bank and when she's done, she'll run back to our place in Rancho Cucamonga to change and get Zippy and meet me at the restaurant. Just uh… stop by my garage area after you check with Lindsey so I can let Heidi know in case she gets there first so she gets a big enough table." Raul pointed off in the direction of where his car was.

Logan nodded and then Raul headed off toward his car. Logan had noticed Weevil was watching them while they were talking and when they were through he walked over. "So that's Luis's cousin?" Weevil asked with a curious expression on his face.

Logan nodded in reply. "I'm going to go take a shower and get changed. If Lindsey comes by looking for me, can you let her know?"

"Sure, I'll let your _fiancé_ know." He gave him a slightly annoyed glare as he said it. Logan realized he must have heard Raul call her that and gave him a cheesy grin and shrugged. _I probably should have mentioned that when we were in the trailer earlier._

"Love at first sight… Head over heals… Impetuous fools… what can I say?"

Weevil shook his head and turned back toward the car.

When Logan climbed into the trailer, he grabbed his phone and sent Veronica a quick text to let her know he was back at the trailer. She didn't reply back right away, so he figured she was tied up. He left the door unlocked though in case she came back and grabbed his bag and headed into the bathroom to take a shower. He couldn't help but remember back to their shower earlier that morning as he stood under the stream of hot water. _Fuck, maybe I'd better switch to cold water._ He shook his head and tried to get the images of her all wet and panting against the tile wall out of his mind. He thought he'd heard something, but then figured he was just imagining it and grabbed the bar of soap to clean off with.

"Need some help getting those tough to reach spots?" Her voice purred from the other side of the shower curtain a few minutes later. She slid it open slightly and peeked in at him with a mischievous smile on her face.

"Veronica…" he said in a low warning tone. She pulled the curtain open a bit farther, revealing that she'd already stripped out of her clothes and then climbed in with him. _Fuck, I have absolutely no self control when she takes her damn clothes off._ He grabbed her by the hips and pressed her up against the wall, crushing his mouth to hers.

"I didn't expect to do this…" he said against her skin as he ran his hands all over her wet body. He wanted to say it wasn't a good idea, that he thought they needed to still talk about things, but wet Veronica in a shower completely destroyed his ability for rational thought yet again. As soon as she touched him, the words that were right on the tip of his tongue vanished into the steam in the shower.

He was about to bring up the complication of not having a condom with him, when the reality of showering in a trailer at a race track hit them both. The hot water tank was not exactly the size you'd want for long hot showers, and they were both hit by the freezing water. Veronica let out a small scream, while he groaned and jumped as well.

"Oh my god! This is as bad as the shower at my Sunset Cliff apartment." Veronica screeched as she tried to move out of the suddenly freezing cold water.

Logan laughed and quickly turned the water off. He wasn't sure whether to thank fate for that dose of reality, or curse it, but it did give him enough of a jolt to slow things down from the direction they'd been quickly heading to. He reached out and grabbed a towel for her and then found a second one for himself. He was thankful that Ratner had been sure to stock the bathroom with extra towels as well. He climbed out of the shower and tried to regain his composure again.

"I thought we were in the middle of something…" Veronica said, giving him a lascivious smile as she climbed out after him.

"What about needing to be professional? Aren't Agent Bellboy and Agent Ex-Boyfriend still out there somewhere?" _Fuck, and there's jealous Logan making an appearance._

She narrowed her eyes slightly at him, apparently picking up the tone in his voice about Trevor. "I was done with the photos of the driver they were interviewing, so said I was going to go and hang out with my _fiancé_ instead."

Logan tipped his head down and smiled a bit, mostly to himself. Hearing that she'd called him her fiancé to Trevor did make him feel a bit better even if it was just a cover, because she could have easily not used the word around them as well. She took a step closer and put her hand on his wet chest, slowly running it up and down his pectoral.

"You know you're just too irresistible when you're all wet and naked." She said with a sly smile.

"Veronica…" he said in a slightly concerned tone again. He wasn't sure more sex was the best way to deal with all the issues that still hadn't been fully resolved between them.

"How about this…" she said coyly as she pressed her body up closer to his. "We finish what we started in the shower, and then tonight when we get back to Malibu, we can talk more. You can ask me as many questions as your heart desires."

He narrowed his eyes and studied her for a moment. He hoped she wouldn't find some other way to just avoid conversation later, but given he was still very much aroused by her surprising him in the shower, he decided he'd go along with it and hope for the best. _Face it man, you really don't know how to say N-O to her._ Dick's voice momentarily passed through his head before she dropped her towel and pressed herself up against him, pulling his towel away from his waist as well. He couldn't remember if the blinds out in the main trailer were closed, so he ended up lifting her up on the counter in the bathroom instead. It wasn't the most spacious or comfortable location, but she didn't complain at all. She'd also brought her purse in and she was much more prepared for things than he was.

When they were finished, there was enough hot water again to at least do a quick clean off. They both laughed as they fought over the bar of soap and tried to be the one that the water was hitting the most.

Logan had to admit he was enjoying how carefree and happy she was being. _Maybe I've been reading more into everything than I should._ Maybe part of that was driven by his old fear that they were doomed to fail when they were younger. _Unbearable pain later..._ He always seemed to assume they'd eventually fail, but he didn't want to believe that anymore.


	31. Chapter 31

_**A/N – First of all, Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it! With my every other day posting schedule, it just happened to work out for today to be time for the next chapter to come out. I'm hoping to be able to stick to that over the holidays, but I'm not sure. I was hoping to have more time to write, but so far that plan isn't working out! I'm worried I may be late getting the next chapter of Lightning Rod for Trouble up tomorrow, but hopefully it won't be too long until I get it finished. **_

_**I know many of you are anxiously waiting for them to talk again, but hopefully you'll still enjoy this chapter. Unfortunately the talk isn't going to happen until Chapter 33 I think, but I really like parts of the next chapter too and it's looking too long to roll their talk into it too, so you'll have to wait one more chapter to get to it.**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 31

They hadn't lingered in the shower as long the second time, escaping before they ran out of hot water again. Logan was savoring every moment with her, trying to just live in the moment and not think about anything beyond how soft her lips felt and how the touch of her fingers felt against his skin. Veronica had put her clothes back on and was combing her hair while she looked in the mirror. He finished getting dressed and walked closer to her so he could wrap his arms around her waist and placed a kiss on her shoulder.

"I talked to Mac earlier today." He told her as he watched her reaction in the mirror.

She raised her eyebrows in a questioning expression.

"She said she was waiting to hear back from you about coming to visit."

"Oh... Did she call you about it then?" Veronica asked curiously.

"No... I called her." _Fuck, I didn't think this through. Now she's going to want to know why I called her... To talk about your ex-boyfriends... Yeah that's going to go over well._

"Oh... About her coming to visit?"

He looked down at the counter instead of at her face for a moment. _Great, I'm sure I look guilty now._ He took a quick breath and looked back up at her and smiled. "Yeah, I had asked her when I called the other day and hadn't heard back."

She raised her eyebrow in a questioning way, implying she was waiting for more because she likely didn't believe that was all. He sighed a little before he continued. "We talked a little about Morgan too." _And Piz… and Trevor… fuck, am I being a hypocrite for getting mad when she doesn't want to talk about uncomfortable topics?_

"Oh... Why?"

"I let her know that you told me what happened so she didn't have to feel awkward about knowing something I didn't." _That's mostly true. Time for a quick change back to the original topic._ "Do you mind if she comes to see us? There's plenty of room at the house and she can hang out with me if you get too busy with work. It sounded like she'd really like to come visit."

She hesitated for a second then smiled and nodded. "Yeah, of course. I'd love to see her too."

"Great, I'll call her later and set it up. Oh, and Raul invited us to dinner with him and Heidi if you're interested. I said I'd ask you and let him know."

Her expression became very interested when he mentioned Raul. "Did he say where? I heard from a few of the pit crew in the other garage that there's a bar near the track that a lot of the crew go to. I think at least one of the women who were raped recalled going there, but not all of them."

Logan cringed at the mention of the rape cases before he answered. "He mentioned something about a bar, but said Heidi had vetoed that. She wanted to go to the Lazy Dog instead."

"I did want to check out the bar, but they might be good to get closer to as well. Maybe we can meet them first then go to the bar after. You game for that?"

"Anything my schnookums desires," he said with a playful smirk. "What are you gonna do about this?" He asked playfully ruffling her wet hair.

She rolled her eyes and started opening the drawers in the bathroom. "It's a track trailer my dear, not a 5 star hotel." Logan said in a teasing tone.

She smiled triumphantly as she pulled a blow dryer out of one of the drawers, much to Logan's surprise.

"Wow, Ratner really did do an amazing job setting this up! Do you think I could just hire him to be my own personal assistant instead?"

Veronica laughed. "I guess if he ever gets tired of the FBI, he might like a soft cushy job like that."

"Hey. There's nothing soft about me," he replied with a salacious grin. "I'd be a ruthless demanding tyrant, you know."

She gave him a skeptical look and went about plugging in the dryer. He kissed the top of her head and then went back out to the main room to get a drink from the fridge. Someone knocked on the door and he glanced out one of the windows to see who it was before going over to the door. He could hear that Veronica already had the blow dryer going, so he walked back in to tell her Ratner and Trevor were at the door. She didn't look terribly excited but said he'd better let them in and she'd be out in a few minutes.

Logan closed the bathroom door and unlocked the trailer for them to come in. Ratner gave him an amused look while Trevor didn't look happy at all.

"She's in the bathroom and will be out in a minute," Logan said as they walked in. He was pretty sure it should be easy enough for them to figure out what was going on since his hair was still wet and she was obviously using a hair dryer in the other room, not to mention they were FBI agents and should be good at picking up clues.

He sat down in the couch with a smug look on his face and opened his bottle of ice tea. "Hey, thanks for going all out with the trailer," he said with a smile to Ratner. "Even the couch is super comfortable." He patted the cushions next to him and gave them a wicked grin. "Help yourselves to a drink if you'd like one."

"Oh yeah, Billy Deimos... Trevor Harrington." Ratner said, quickly introducing the two. "But here at the track you should call him Todd Harris if you need to call him by name."

"Maybe you all should just start wearing name tags, so I can keep all these names straight," Logan replied in a joking tone, though he knew to some people, that came out as his jackass tone as well. He could tell by the expression on Trevor's face, he was probably in the latter group of people. Logan wondered for a moment how many agents involved actually knew he was Logan Echolls since they'd never talked about it. The file Ratner had on him didn't mention it, so maybe only Veronica and Ratner actually knew the truth.

Veronica finally came out and looked quickly around at the three men as she leaned against the frame of the bathroom door, with her gaze finally stopping at Ratner. "What's up? I thought we were done." She asked, clearly directing her question to him and sounding a bit irritated that they were there.

"Yeah, we wanted to let you know a few of the guys invited us to meet up later with them at Ziggis. Did you want to join us too?" Ratner asked.

Veronica gave him an annoyed look, "You couldn't have just texted me that?" Ratner shrugged and looked in the direction of Trevor for a moment, which caused Veronica to let out a frustrated sigh and roll her eyes. "We're supposed to have dinner with Raul and his wife, but we were already planning to stop by there later." Veronica continued on in a curt tone.

Ratner nodded. "You're good here then? Don't need a ride back at all?" Logan could almost imagine that should have been followed by a 'Trevor wanted me to check', based on his body language.

Veronica shook her head. "Nope, I'm good. Thanks for driving me out here though. I'll touch base with you later."

Logan had been watching Trevor while they were talking, and he'd kept his gaze firmly locked on Veronica as soon as she came out of the bathroom. He also noticed that Veronica seemed to be avoiding looking at Trevor, and had been either looking at Ratner or himself the entire time.

Ratner nodded and headed toward the door. "Always a pleasure, Admiral," he said looking at Logan as he walked by with an amused smile on his face again. Trevor gave one last longing look at Veronica before he turned and followed Ratner out the door, taking a second to give Logan a slightly annoyed glance.

Logan gave her a meaningful look as soon as the door closed behind the other two. "I'm still holding you to more talking tonight, darling dearest."

She rolled her eyes slightly at him and gave him a weak smile. "Yeah, I figured." She changed her expression to be more inquisitive, but playful too. "When did you get all talky anyway?" He was still sitting on the couch and she moved closer and her expression changed to be more predatory. She climbed onto his lap and straddled him. "I seem to remember you being more into actions than words." She rocked her hips up against him and gave him a salacious smile.

"Hmmm..." He said in a low voice, grabbing her hips and pulling her even firmer up against him. "I guess when I stopped being the one with all the buried secrets." He kept a playful smile on his face even though he was being serious, but he also didn't want to get into a big disagreement now if they had plans for the rest of the evening. He gave her a quick kiss on the nose, and then playfully tossed her off his lap so that she fell onto her back on the couch next to him. He smirked at her and stood up. "I've got to go find Raul and I'm not going to let you seduce me again... not until we have enough time to really talk."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "That almost sounds like a challenge."

He shook his head at her and held out his hand, "Did you want to come with me, or stay here, my little temptress?" She smiled and took his offered hand and let him pull her up. He gave her a quick kiss on the temple, and then headed toward the door.

They walked back over to the garage area to find Raul. He must have just finished up driving and was talking to his mechanic over the opened hood of his car. They walked up to him with Logan's arm across Veronica's shoulders.

"Hey," Raul said with a nod as he saw them approaching. "Did you decide to join us for dinner?"

They both nodded and said "Yeah" in unison. They chuckled at themselves for saying it at the same time and had goofy grins on their faces.

Raul shook his head slightly at them. "Great, I'll let Heidi know. Meet you there at 6 then?"

"Sounds good," Logan replied. Logan and Raul exchanged phone numbers quickly in case they had any trouble finding the restaurant or something came up.

"So…" Veronica said with a mischievous grin as they started walking back through the garage to go to his trailer. "We have almost an hour to kill. Maybe I'll work on that challenge now."

Logan laughed, "You really think I can't resist your charms don't you?"

She nodded and gave him a seductive smile. "I know you can't," she replied confidently.

He shook his head and laughed a little more at her. They were walking closer to the area where his race car was parked and Weevil was still there tinkering under the hood. "As fun as that little game sounds, I should go and check in with Weevil again before he takes off." She gave him a little pout, but nodded and followed him over toward the car.

"Hey Weevil," Logan said as they approached him.

Weevil turned his head and a broad grin spread across his face. He glanced around quickly and saw no one else was around. "So I hear congratulations are in order?" He quirked his eyebrows and gestured down to her hand.

She rolled her eyes and smirked at him. "Yeah well," she turned and looked at Logan. "He's such a Prince Charming and just swept me off my feet," she replied in an exaggerated breathless voice.

Weevil snickered. "Yeah, that's how I describe him all the time to the guys in the crew…" He changed his voice so it was higher before he continued. "Isn't Billy just the dreamiest guy you've ever met? Just like Prince Charming." He made a swooning face and put his hands over his heart.

Logan shook his head and gave them both a smirk. "Thanks Weevs, I always knew you thought so, but alas, this fair maiden has stolen my heart." He grabbed Veronica around the waist and tipped her back placing a deep kiss on her lips. She giggled and struggled slightly to get away, but then he went for her neck and started sucking gently right below her ear and she melted in his arms. Logan stopped when he heard Weevil clear his throat loudly.

"Okay, okay… I get it." Weevil said as Logan looked up at him with a leering grin, still holding Veronica tipped down. Weevil was shaking his head at them. Logan smirked and put her back upright. He grinned as he noticed that she was a bit breathless and a shade pinker than she had been a few minutes before.

"So is everything going okay with your housing arrangements?" Logan asked Weevil as he wrapped his arms around Veronica from behind and rested his head on her shoulder. "I've rented a sweet place out in Malibu if you need a place to stay."

Veronica quickly turned and gave him a disbelieving look. Weevil must have noticed her expression and laughed. "As much as I can tell Blondie would love to have me join you and play Three's Company, things are going fine at my cousin's place."

Logan just shrugged and looked at Veronica, "What? I just wanted to make sure he wasn't inconvenienced since we made him come all the way up here with us."

She rolled her eyes and turned back to Weevil. "Actually if it does turn out you need a place to stay, I'll probably be out in Malibu most of the time and you could use my apartment."

Logan was actually more than a little surprised by her comment. He of course was hoping she'd spend most of the time out there with him, but hearing her say it meant a lot to him and hadn't been something he'd expect her to just casually admit. He squeezed her a little tighter and kissed her neck again.

"Thanks. I'll keep that in mind, but for now it's fine. He's got a pretty large place and it's been fun to hang out with him again. He's married and his wife's a fabulous cook and she also happens to have a very attractive sister who's single and just happens to stop by a lot to hang out…"

Logan and Veronica both laughed. "Say no more," Logan quickly replied, sparing Weevil from continuing on.

Weevil nodded, "Actually I was just finishing up a few more adjustments and then heading back over to their place for dinner."

Logan nodded, "The track manager said he'd text me what spots I can practice next week over the weekend, so I'll let you know the dates and times as soon as I hear from him. He was able to get me a spot in the race next weekend too. Can you handle getting some extra crew ready to go?"

Weevil nodded and grabbed a rag to wipe off his hands. "I was talking with a few guys around here and got some contact names for us." He shut the hood of the car and gave them a curious smile and shook his head. "Still not quite use to this…" he said gesturing to them. "It still seems like I got zapped back in time or something…"

"I guess you'll have to wait for lightning to strike the clock tower to get home, Marty McFly," Veronica said with a laugh.

Logan chuckled at her comment as well as Weevil's resulting expression. _I for one have no desire to go back to a time without this. _He placed another quick kiss on her cheek and just smiled at Weevil. He caught a look quickly flash across Weevil's face that made him think he probably knew exactly what Logan was thinking.

"All right you two crazy love birds," Weevil said with a sly smile as he grabbed his box of tools. "I'll see you next week then. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

They said goodbye to Weevil and walked back out to Logan's trailer. Logan unlocked the door for her to enter first, and then followed her in. As soon as he closed the door, she gave him a salacious grin and pushed him over toward the couch, causing him to fall back on to it as his legs hit the edge.

"Back to your challenge," she said as she climbed onto his lap and started placing kisses up his neck. Her hands found the edge of his shirt and quickly made their way under it, running her nails lightly over his abs and chest.

He leaned back against the couch and gave her his best disinterested expression. "Hey would you like a soda?" He asked in a nonchalant tone. "I think I'm going to grab an ice tea."

Her eyes opened wide, apparently she was a bit surprised by his sudden control. He grabbed her hips and lifted her off of him, setting her down on the couch next to where he was sitting, then stood up and walked over to the fridge. She gave him an indignant look as he glanced back over his shoulder at her. _That was totally worth the expression she just had on her face._ He opened the fridge and turned back to her holding out a can of the soda Ratner had gotten for her. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and narrowed her eyes at him. She shook her head at him and then finally spoke. "You know what I want and it's not in a can," she replied in a sultry tone as she slowly climbed off the couch and made her way over towards him.

He smirked as he put the soda back and grabbed a bottle of ice tea and quickly shut the door, and then side stepped her, heading back toward the couch. He wasn't quite quick enough though and she grabbed a hold of his jeans and yanked him back toward her before he could completely escape.

"Did you want the ice tea?" He asked innocently. "There's more, or I'll share mine with you if you'd like." He opened the bottle and held it up between them.

She shook her head again as a devilish smile spread across her face. He shrugged and took a long drink of the tea. After he was done, she reached out for the bottle, and he hesitantly handed it to her. She set the bottle down and took a step closer to him to close the gap between their bodies. She reached up and put her hands on the back of his head so she could pull him down to kiss her. He stood there enjoying the kiss for a few minutes before he pulled away, reached over and grabbed the ice tea, and then went back to sit on the couch. As she started moving toward him, he gave her a sly smile, and then stretched out on his stomach, taking over the entire couch. "I think I might just try to take a little nap before we go to dinner," he said with a fake yawn. He set the ice tea on the table that was next to the couch and tucked his arm under his head to make do as a pillow. "Can you wake me in thirty minutes?"

He heard a frustrated little growl come from her, before he felt her climb on the back of him, sitting on his ass, while she started to dig her fingers into his sides where she knew he was ticklish. _Ok, maybe I didn't think this plan through well enough since I'm a bit defenseless this way._ He started wiggling, and trying to block her hands while laughing, but it was pretty useless in his current position. He finally flipped over, with her straddling right across his hips. He quickly grabbed her hands to stop her assault, and pulled her down on top of him, trying to get her body shifted up higher so it wouldn't be as difficult for him to try to keep his restraint.

"Two can play at this game my dear, and I know exactly where you're ticklish too," he warned as he released her hands and moved his fingers to her sides right below her arms where he knew she was extremely ticklish. Her expression became a bit alarmed as she must have realized she wasn't in as much control of the situation as she had thought. He tickled her for a few minutes before she finally begged him to stop through gasps for air. She collapsed on top of him panting for breath as he laughed and kissed the top of her head. "Truce?" He asked playfully against her hair.

She tipped her head up to him with a defeated pout on her face. "Fine. I guess I'm not as desirable as I thought."

He rolled his eyes and shook his head. "You my dear, are absolutely…" he kissed her forehead, "positively…" he kissed her cheek, "desirable…" he kissed her deeply on her lips. Then he pulled back and smiled. "But I really am sticking to what I said this afternoon even if it's practically killing me." He watched her face light up in a blissful glow.

She let out a deep contented sigh and rested her head against his chest. "How much time was left for that nap? This seduction stuff is really exhausting."

He chuckled against her forehead and kissed her again. "I doubt it will matter if we're a few minutes late." He reached into his pocket and slid out his phone. "We've got at least another 20 minutes." He set his phone down next to him and wrapped his arms around her, slowly caressing her back as they laid there.

"Mmmm," she moaned against his chest. "You make the best bed." She took another deep breath and ran her fingers up through his hair. "This is nice you know?" He nodded and softly whispered 'yeah' in reply. She tipped her head up slightly again so she could look into his eyes, "I really did miss you when you were gone Logan." She hadn't looked at him with that much emotion in a very long time. It reminded him of all the good times they'd had together before things went to hell that final time freshman year at Hearst. He took a deep breath and pulled her up a little higher so he could kiss her deeply.

"I missed you too," He said softly as their lips finally parted and she rested her head on his chest again. _No matter what we still need to work through, I'm certain she still feels the same way about me that I feel about her. Hopefully we're mature enough now to work through our issues and make things work for good this time._ He nuzzled his head against the top of her hair and placed another kiss there as he continued caressing her back. He wished they had more than twenty minutes to enjoy this perfect blissful time, but after all their time apart, he was cherishing every minute he had with her now. He knew better than to take any of it for granted given not that long ago he thought he'd actually lost any chance to have her back in his life again.


	32. Chapter 32

_**A/N – This chapter ended up much longer than any of the others for this story, so I guess that's sort of a holiday treat. I decided to just leave it as is instead of trying to cut it into two shorter chapters. I don't expect others to be this long though. I hope you all enjoy this one!**_

_**I forgot to mention before. Both the restaurant and the bar are at least listed online as being close to the Fontana track. I've never actually been there, so if you live near there, I'm just making the details of them up for the story. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 32

Raul was already at the restaurant when they arrived, sitting at a table on the patio. They spotted him as they walked in the front door and headed over to his table. He flagged down a waitress to get them some drinks as well.

"So what did you think about the track?" Raul asked Logan as they waited for Heidi.

Logan shrugged which made Raul laugh. "Yeah, not quite as interesting as Sau Paulo is it?" Logan shook his head and smirked at him.

"Did you live in Sau Paulo originally too?" Veronica asked after taking a sip of her drink.

"Yeah, I started racing there, but then I met Heidi and moved up here. She grew up in California and her family is all here and didn't want to leave. I don't mind it, but a round track can definitely get a little boring when you're used to the track in Sau Paulo. I'm just glad I have other things to make my life interesting."

"And what sort of things might they be?" Veronica asked with a curious smile.

"I love paragliding. Ever tried?" Raul asked looking back and forth between the two of them.

Logan shook his head. "That sounds awesome though man. I saw some people doing it when I was out surfing yesterday in Malibu. It looked like it would be a blast to try."

"Yeah. If you're interested a buddy of mine gives lessons in Malibu. You can get novice pilot training for about 2 grand. Or just do tandem flights for less."

"Sweet," Logan replied. Veronica gave him what looked like a disapproving glance. _What, she can go chase dangerous criminals and thinks she can keep me from doing other types of extreme sports?_

Heidi happened to arrive before Veronica could voice her disagreement.

"Hey baby," she said to Raul as she leaned in and gave him a kiss. "I'm glad you two could make it," she said to Logan and Veronica as she turned to take a seat next to Raul.

Veronica was in the seat closest to where Heidi had come from. "Oh my, aren't you cute?" Veronica said as she leaned down toward the ground.

Logan had almost forgotten about Zippy, which he'd pictured as a hyper little chihuahua or something. He shifted in his seat so he could look over too and was surprised to see a rather tired looking basset hound. Apparently the walk from the parking lot was a bit too much for him and he flopped down at Heidi's feet panting. His big floppy ears spread out around his head and he looked up at Veronica with big tired looking eyes.

"This is Zippy." Heidi said with a smile as she reached down and patted his head.

"You don't look all that zippy," Veronica replied to the dog with a grin.

"Do you two have any dogs?" Heidi asked them.

Veronica quickly shot a warning glance at Logan but it was too late, he'd already started to reply. "No. I'd love to get a dog, but Lindsey said we couldn't." He gave her his best petulant pout. Veronica just shook her head and rolled her eyes at him.

"Do you not like dogs?" Heidi asked Veronica with a concerned expression.

Veronica quickly shook her head. "Oh no, I love dogs, but with my uncertain work schedule, I just don't think it's practical."

"Billy could take it to the track with him though. They are really great about dogs there actually. Several racers bring their dogs to their trailers with them." Heidi explained. Logan noticed Raul shake his head slightly. Apparently a topic he knew to avoid with his wife that he may not completely agree with.

Logan decided to change the subject to stay out of trouble with Veronica and perhaps avoid a disagreement between Raul and Heidi. He'd glanced down at the table and Veronica's ring caught his eye. "Maybe we'll revisit it after the wedding. I'm sure we'll have plenty to deal with getting ready for that." Logan chimed in with a smile on his face.

"Oh yes!" Heidi replied enthusiastically. "Wedding planning is so much fun!" Again Logan caught the slightly disagreeable look from Raul and a small head shake.

"How long have you two been married?" Veronica asked, perhaps welcoming the topic of wedding nuptials over pet ownership.

Logan didn't actually know what he was thinking using that as an excuse after it had slipped out of his mouth. Of course his mind snapped back to Veronica's disastrous other engagement again. He couldn't help but wonder now how far along she'd actually gotten with planning something or if she had actually even intended on marrying Morgan given she wasn't honest about who she was when she accepted the proposal. They hadn't talked about that at all. He'd been so shocked by the fact that Morgan had shot her that he hadn't actually thought about all the other details. He wondered how much in love with Morgan she had been. She always had such a hard time actually saying she loved him when they were together, he wondered if it had been different for her with Morgan before she found out he was mixed up in the investigation. _Did she actually fall in love with him before it all ended tragically?_

"Right Billy?" Veronica asked him as she nudged his side.

"Sorry what?" He asked, realizing he'd gotten so lost on his thoughts he had no idea what she had asked.

She gave him a puzzled look as Raul started to talk. "Word of advice for a happy marriage... Just say 'yes dear' even if you didn't hear the question."

Logan looked a bit sheepish and gave her a little smile. "Yes dear?" He said tentatively as Heidi laughed at him and Veronica shook her head slightly.

Luckily they were interrupted by the waitress coming by to take their orders. She also brought a bowl of water for Zippy.

_Let's try a new topic away from weddings and dogs._ "So Heidi, Raul said you work at a bank?" _Wow, that was quite a lame topic change, Logan._

Heidi nodded. "It's not that exciting, but it pays the bills."

Veronica asked her how long she'd worked there and Logan went back to thinking about her prior engagement again. _Had she seriously planned on marrying him if things had been different?_ _If she was initially attracted to Morgan because he reminded her of me, does that mean she would have actually considered marrying me, or was it all part of her Lindsey persona only?_

"I don't know. What do you think Billy?" He heard Veronica ask as she reached down and squeezed his knee.

_Fuck, what were they talking about now? Yes dear won't work to a question like that._ He hoped his next option would. "Whatever you think is fine with me."

She gave him a slightly annoyed look. "Well we did tell my coworker David that we'd meet him later at Ziggis, so we should probably take a rain-check on going to listen to jazz tonight."

Heidi made a disgusted face and then must have realized what she did. "Sorry, I'm not a fan of that place at all. Too many slimy guys sometimes and..." She trailed off and didn't finish, just shook her head instead.

"What?" Veronica asked when Heidi didn't finish.

Heidi just shook her head again and looked a bit uncomfortably at Raul. "A friend of hers had a really bad experience there." Raul explained, leaning in and placing a kiss on her forehead.

Logan had a sinking feeling in his gut that he knew what kind of experience that likely was. Veronica gave her a sympathetic look, but didn't push for more.

Logan's cell phone chimed a moment later, which drew a curious look from Veronica as well. He glanced at the screen and saw it was a text from Dick. He decided he'd read it later and put his phone away. He tried to pay better attention to the rest of the conversation and not let his mind drift off again. Heidi went back to talking about the jazz club that she'd mentioned and then moved on to telling them about a trip they'd taken to New Orleans for their 5th anniversary.

"I visited there once for an assignment," Veronica shared. "It was quite an interesting town. I'd certainly love to go back sometime."

Veronica's comment made Logan wonder about how many other places she'd visited during the years he'd been gone. So much of her life was a mystery to him, while his had been pretty easy for her to find out about.

"Maybe you'd like to come out to our place in Malibu tomorrow?" Veronica offered shooting a quick glance off to Logan as she asked them.

"Yeah, you could bring Zippy along too if you'd like." Logan chimed in, trying to help sell Veronica's idea since he figured she wanted to have them out there to get more information for her case.

Heidi and Raul said they'd think about it and get back to them. Veronica gave Heidi her cell phone number too so she could call when they had decided.

They finished up their dinners and headed back out to Logan's car. He pulled his cell out as he was walking and checked the text from Dick which just said to call him. Veronica was watching him as they climbed into the car. "I'm going to just give Dick a quick call back before we drive to the bar." She nodded and took out her own phone as he made the call.

"What's up?" Logan asked when Dick answered.

"Hey are you free tonight? Those two hot chicks from the beach yesterday want to go clubbing in LA tonight and wanted me to see if you could come along too."

Logan glanced over at Veronica who could no doubt hear Dick's loud booming voice coming through the phone. She was still looking down at her phone, but he thought he could see a slight bit of annoyance in her expression.

"Sorry man, but I already have plans with Veronica." He thought he noticed a small change in her lips, the edge pulling up the slightest amount.

"Come on, didn't you do something for her last night? You missed a totally awesome party by the way. Those two women were a ton of fun. Just ask her nicely to take your balls out of the vice grip she's got them in and come with us instead. The red head was really interested in seeing you again. And I must say she's got quite a nice set of lips that I'm sure would feel amazing on your-"

"Dick!" _Fuck that didn't actually help._ Logan had noticed the little smile on Veronica's lips was quickly turning into a frown the more Dick spoke. "I'm not interested and I'm not going to change my mind."

"Fine," Dick replied in a petulant tone. _Hopefully one attempt to change my mind will be enough for Dick._ "Well if your night with Ronnie goes to hell, you can call my cell and join up with us later."

"I'm positive it won't Dick. Bye.". Logan heard him grumble good bye as he ended the call. Veronica was still staring at her own phone instead of looking over at him.

"Ah Dick, charming as ever." Logan said in a sarcastic tone. He was sure she heard everything and there wasn't any sense in pretending she hadn't.

"If you'd rather..." She waved her hand in the air. "I can get a ride home later with Jeff and Trevor."

He grabbed her hand before she sat it back on her lap. "Hey, I wouldn't rather..." She finally turned to look at him and he could see a shadow of insecurity on her face. It was something he hadn't quite seen since she'd been back in his life. "Come on Veronica, how could you even think that? Cover or no cover, there's no place I'd rather be than with you tonight."

She shook her head and sighed. "I don't know." She hesitated a minute before she spoke again. "What was wrong with you at dinner? I don't think you heard half of the conversation. You seemed a half a world away."

_Half a world, like Brazil? I hope she realizes I was thinking about her and not Gabriela._ He gave her a small comforting smile. "Yeah, I guess I kept drifting off thinking about everything that's happened in the last few days with _you_ and me. It's a lot to process all at once you know." _And getting you to talk about it hasn't been easy either._ He reached out with his other hand and brushed her hair away from her face. "But you promised we'd talk more tonight so let's get to the bar so we can head home and do that when we're finished there." He couldn't help but notice she seemed a little less enthusiastic about that. He decided to change the conversation for the time being. "Do you think Raul might be connected to your suspect?"

Veronica shrugged. "I'm not sure but I'd like to talk to Heidi more about what happened to her friend to figure out if it's already one of the reported cases we know about or not. Women don't always report things like that..." She made a frustrated face. He knew Lamb hadn't listened to her when she'd tried to report her own rape in high school since they talked more about it once she'd confided in him about it happening. He squeezed her hand a little more and gave her an understanding look. "I'm hoping if she gets to know me a little more and feels more comfortable maybe she'll open up a little more about it. At least if I can get a name, I can check the reports." He nodded in agreement.

They headed back toward the race track and the bar that was located to the north east of it. Veronica texted Ratner to let him know they were on their way. He replied back that they were playing pool with a few of the guys from the track so to look for them by the tables.

Logan eyed the parking lot a bit nervously when they pulled in. He felt completely out of place there with the Mazerati compared to the other kinds of cars and quite a few motorcycles. _At least it's insured_. It was already dark outside and he had an uneasy feeling in his gut about the place. There were groups of people hanging around in different parts of the parking lot smoking. He picked a spot as close to the building as possible that had a bright light above it, away from the smokers.

He glanced over at Veronica before he opened his door. She had a less than happy look on her face. He raised his eyebrows at her to see if she'd say what was on her mind. When that didn't work, he just went with the direct approach. "What's up?"

"So you and Dick met some women on the beach yesterday?" No doubt she was trying to ask it casually, but it didn't come out all that innocent.

_Ah, I see jealous Veronica is making an appearance. _"No, Dick met some women while I was out surfing. I didn't actually talk to them." He gave her a large grin. _It feels so good to be the completely innocent one for a change. _It felt even better when a sheepish grin crossed her face. _Nice to see she knows she's been caught._ "You can put that piano wire back in your purse now," he added with a smirk.

"I was just curious, not jealous," she replied a bit indignantly.

"Right..." he gave her a little wink then leaned in to kiss her. A defiant smile crossed her face as he started to move and she turned her head so the kiss landed on her cheek.

"You know it was kind of nice thinking you might actually like me enough to be jealous," he said in a thoughtful tone.

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You know I like you Logan."

"Mmm hmm... Like me a lot or like me a little?" he asked with a mischievous grin on his face.

Her expression became coy before she spoke. "I'm sure you already know the answer to that."

"Well I'd still like to hear you actually say it," he replied as he looked more intently into her eyes but kept a warm smile on his lips.

She shook her head in that slightly uncomfortable way that he found absolutely endearing. "A lot... I like you a lot. Are you happy now?" she asked with a sly little smile.

"Immensely," he replied and moved his hand so he could turn her face closer to him for a deep kiss. When they finally broke apart, they both had similar blissful smiles on their faces. "Can we just stay here and make out in the car?" he asked in a humorous tone.

She chuckled and shook her head. He sighed and gave her a fake pout in response. "Fine," he said in his best indignant voice. "Let's go check out this _fine_ establishment."

They both opened their doors and climbed out. He swiftly walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Logan immediately assessed the place as they walked in and found it to be more of a sports bar than anything else. There were several pool tables located toward the back as well as darts and video poker in other areas. There were several large screen TVs around the bar too. Given it was a Friday night, the place was fairly packed. While there weren't any car races the next day, there was a motocross competition, which probably drew in a lot of out-of-towners.

They made their way through the crowd back to the pool tables. He spotted Ratner at a table near the wall and leaned down to whisper into her ear over the din of the crowd where he was.

It was difficult to keep his arm around her shoulder as they worked their way through the crowd so instead he reached down to hold her hand as he led the way over to Ratner. He hadn't noticed Trevor at first and was hoping that maybe he'd bailed already but right after they reached Ratner he appeared with two beers.

"Sorry I would have gotten you one if I knew you'd be here already," he apologized to Veronica. "You can have mine if you'd like and I'll go back for another. It's one of the kinds you like, not too dark."

Veronica didn't look very happy and shook her head. "No thanks." Trevor gave her a small smile and nodded before returning to an empty stool by the table they were using.

There was only one other empty stool by them and Logan gestured to it with his head. "Wanna share?" He asked with a mischievous grin.

She smiled back and nodded. He walked over and sat down, scooting back far enough to give her room to sit on the edge between his legs. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her tightly up against him as he pretended to be interested in the pool game Ratner appeared to be losing badly. He rested his head on her shoulder that was closest to Trevor so he could keep an eye on him out of his peripheral vision while he was watching the game. He'd occasionally place kisses on Veronica's neck and whisper comments into her ear about the horrible shots Ratner was failing at which would make her laugh a little. He could see Trevor glaring at them, which of course he was enjoying immensely.

When Ratner finally lost he asked Logan and Veronica if either of them wanted to play instead. Logan was completely content to just sit there with Veronica between his legs for as long as possible and shook his head.

"Ah, come on baby..." Veronica said with a sly smile on her lips as she turned her head to see Logan better, "show me how amazing you are?"

Logan wasn't sure why she wanted him to play, but figured she had a reason so smiled and took the opportunity of having her head turned to capture her lips for a bit more than just a chaste kiss. She closed her eyes and let out a small moan as he pulled his lips away. "Anything for you darling," he said loud enough that he hoped Trevor heard as well.

She hopped off the stool so he could take the pool cue from Ratner. "Billy, this is Nick, he's one of the drivers at the track too," Ratner explained as the other guy came over and shook Logan's hand. Another guy who'd been sitting on a nearby stool stood up and walked over by Nick.

"This is my mechanic Aurelio." Nick said as Aurelio reached out his hand to shake Logan's as well.

Logan looked carefully at Aurelio. "Did you used to work in Sau Paulo?"

Aurelio nodded, "Yeah, it's been what… 3 to 4 years since I came up to LA from there."

Logan nodded in return. "I thought you looked familiar. So which one of you wants the next game?" The two guys looked at each other and Nick handed the cue off to Aurelio. "Hey can you rack it up? I'm going to get a quick good luck kiss from my lady," Logan waggled his eye brows and smirked at them. Aurelio nodded and started arranging the balls.

Veronica had taken over the stool and looked a little surprised when Logan walked back to her instead of starting the game. He gave her a lascivious grin and moved her legs apart so he could stand between them. He put his hands on her hips and bent down and gave her a kiss. He moved his head so he could kiss her under the ear, and placed a quick kiss there before whispering to her. "I think Aurelio might know your suspect." He stood back up and gave her a quick knowing look before pecking her on the lips again and walking back to the table. Their game went pretty quickly with Logan easily winning. He had a pool table at his house in Brazil, and he and Weevil had spent many hours playing, so he'd gotten pretty good. He noticed while they were playing, Veronica had moved over to talk more with Nick. When they were done, Logan thanked him for the game and offered the cue to the other guys. Trevor shook his head, so Ratner nodded and took it again and started another game with Aurelio. Logan took his stool again and Veronica walked over and stood between his knees and gave him a quick kiss.

"Would the lady like a drink?" Logan asked as she smiled up at him.

"Sure, I'll even save your seat," she replied with a sly grin.

He walked toward the bar to get her a beer and a bottle of club soda for himself. As he was waiting for the bartender to finish up another order he saw Trevor walk up next to him.

"Some free advice… don't get too attached." Trevor said as he stood next to Logan.

"Excuse me?" Logan responded indignantly.

"She might find you an interesting distraction for now, but as soon as the assignment is over, she'll be moving on to something else and sending you back to Brazil. Don't fool yourself. She's not someone who believes in happily ever after. Her career is all she really cares about."

"Maybe you don't know her as well as you think you do," Logan replied tersely as he narrowed his eyes at Trevor.

"Trust me, I know her very well. I also know what it's like to be in our profession. It rarely works out to have normal relationships. I may have screwed up before with her, but I have every intention to win her back and have no intention of letting you get in my way. So take my advice and do yourself a favor… don't get too caught up in your little charade."

Logan was fuming, but decided punching an FBI agent wasn't a smart move, so instead he just chuckled. "You don't know anything about her. You're the one who's fooling yourself if you think she's ever taking you back." They were interrupted by the bartender making his way to them and asking them what they wanted. Logan tossed his cash on the counter as he took the two drinks. He glared at Trevor and then he walked back to Veronica.

He was trying to not let what Trevor said get to him, but he was still mad at what an ass the guy was. He was hoping Veronica wouldn't notice that he was upset though. As he handed her the beer, she gave him a curious look and pulled him in a little closer. "Everything okay?" she asked searching his face for a clue. He sighed and leaned in closer and kissed her. She gave him a sweet smile as he pulled away. "Much better now." He said with a cheesy grin. She winked at him and kissed him another time. She got off the stool and let him sit down, and then slid back in between his legs again. He wrapped his arms around her like he had done before, and watched Ratner and Aurelio finish their game.

Trevor returned a few minutes later and without much thought, Logan tightened his arms around her a little more. She tipped her head back up and looked at him with a slightly concerned look on her face. He quirked his lips up in a small half smile, which earned him a raised eyebrow and a kiss from her. After the kiss, she gave him a coy little smile, and then turned again so she could watch Aurelio and Ratner continue to play. She'd taken a few sips of her beer, but then set it on the small table by their stools and ran her hands up and down his thighs as he kissed her neck below her ear and continued to watch Ratner loose at pool.

After Ratner and Aurelio's game was over the guys decided to switch over to darts for a little while. They moved over to a booth that had just opened up by the dart boards, with Logan sliding in first followed by Veronica. Trevor, Ratner and Nick were playing darts, while Aurelio said he didn't feel like playing and took a seat across from Logan and Veronica.

"So do you ever make it back to Sau Paulo?" Logan asked Aurelio, hoping it just seemed like casual small talk and a way to give Veronica an opening if she needed one.

He shrugged, "Maybe once or twice a year, though I didn't go back as much this last year."

"Do you have family there?" Veronica asked jumping into the conversation as well.

Aurelio nodded, "Yeah, my parents and brother are still there."

"Are they involved with racing too?" she asked next.

He shook his head, "No they never really thought it was a very good career choice, which was one of the reasons I ended up here instead."

"Have you been working with Nick all this time?" Veronica asked as Aurelio had taken another drink from his beer.

He shook his head again and swallowed his drink before he spoke again. "No, just about two years with Nick. I used to be on a different crew, but that driver decided to get out of racing, and that's when I hooked up with Nick."

Veronica nodded. Logan was a bit worried her twenty questions approach might start sounding a little bit suspicious although given how much it seemed Aurelio had been drinking, Logan was hoping that he wouldn't really notice.

"Have you been at other tracks around the US? I may have to move around a lot for work and was wondering whether Billy would like some of the other track locations too."

Aurelio nodded, "Yeah, I've been around to several places. You'd probably like most of them. Of course the weather in California is a plus, not to mention I love surfing so it's nice being close to the Pacific." Logan nodded in agreement.

After the dart game ended, Nick came back over and asked Aurelio if he was ready to take off. They said a quick goodbye to Logan and Veronica and then headed out of the bar. Since the booth they were in was fairly secluded she turned and gave him a questioning look. "Do you want to discuss this here or head home?" He asked in a low voice knowing what the look was for.

She smiled and nodded, "Yeah, let's go." She quickly said goodbye to Ratner and they headed toward the door. Logan noticed Trevor didn't get a farewell at all and looked a bit annoyed as they were leaving.

When they climbed into the Mazerati, she turned and looked expectantly at him. "So spill!"

He smiled and laughed softly. He didn't actually think they'd make it home before he'd have to explain. "When you asked me before if I remembered anyone your suspect was with in Sau Paulo, I couldn't remember, until I saw Aurelio again tonight. I think he may have been at the party with him. If not there together, I'm pretty sure they were at least talking to each other several times that night. Aurelio had left Sau Paulo shortly after that and I'd completely forgotten about him."

Veronica beamed at him. "Logan… this is fantastic if you're right! It at least gives us a person of interest to keep an eye on. I'm going to let Ratner know and he can get things moving so we can start monitoring him."

She smiled at him again, then leaned forward and kissed him. "Alright, home James!" She said with a chuckle.

"Your wish is my command." He gave her a little wink. "It's sort of late. Your place or mine?"

"Yeah it is pretty late and I'll probably need to meet up with Ratner in the morning to work on the Aurelio lead, so maybe we should stay at my place since my car is there."

"That's fine with me." Logan paused a moment. "Will you come out to Malibu later tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, especially if Heidi and Raul take me up on the offer. But even if not I should make it there by dinner time."

"Maybe I'll surprise you with a delicious meal," Logan said, giving her a quick glance.

She must have been thinking about the steak again and a satisfied look crossed her face. "More steak?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

He shook his head. "You'll have to wait and see." He gave her a wink and turned back to face the road again.


	33. Chapter 33

_**A/N – Hopefully some of the answers to questions you've all had are covered in this chapter. I'm sure there are still others but they do cover several things in this one. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments and try to reply to most, but haven't had as much time to do that lately. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 33

When they pulled into the parking garage at Veronica's apartment building, her phone rang. She checked the display before answering. He'd seen her send a text while they were driving and assumed it was to Ratner about the Aurelio lead.

"Jeff?" She asked, apparently not wanting to get tricked by Trevor again.

"_Yep._" Logan could hear Ratner respond through the phone.

"Did you get rid of Harrington?"

"_Yeah just dropped him at his car. What's up?"_

"So I told you this morning Logan saw a picture of Baldwin and said he remembered seeing him in Sau Paulo. Well he's pretty sure he was talking with that guy, Aurelio from tonight, there. I'm thinking we should do a little digging into him next."

"_Great. You're thinking of going into the office tomorrow then?_"

"Yeah... Oh it's Saturday... Is it your day to see Benji?"

"_Yeah... I could send Trevor to help you though._"

Veronica let out a frustrated sigh. "No, I'll just go solo on it for now."

"_Veronica, you know he's assigned to the case now too. You can't just leave him out because you're still pissed and he's an asshole. If Peters find out, you'll be in more trouble you know?_"

She blew out a frustrated breath. "Fine. You can let him know I'll be there by 10, but I'm not calling and asking for his help."

"_Fine. I'll talk to you sometime tomorrow._"

She hung up and looked over at Logan with a small smile on her face. "Ready to go upstairs?"

Logan nodded and climbed out of the car. He was looking forward to getting to talk about some things again, with Trevor Harrington being at the top of tonight's list.

He wrapped his arms around her shoulders after she climbed out of the car and headed toward the elevator. "So Ratner's a dad?" Logan asked a little surprised. At least that was how he interpreted her question and tone on the phone.

Veronica nodded as she moved closer to him. "Yeah, he's about four now I think. Cute kid… luckily he looks more like his mom." She gave him a little wink as the elevator door opened and they moved into it.

The garage was in the basement of the apartment building and the elevator stopped at the first floor on its way back up. The doors opened to a surprised looking Ash with a petite brunette curled into his side. Logan couldn't help the little smirk that crept across his face. _Wow, we have such fortuitous timing don't we?_ He was still standing with his arm across Veronica's shoulders.

"Hi," Ash stuttered out as the two of them entered the elevator as well.

"Nice to see you again Ash," Logan replied with a chipper tone. "Are you two having a pleasant evening?"

The brunette smiled at them and nodded. Her green eyes were full of excitement. "Yeah we were just listening to a band play at the bar down the street. So much fun!" Her enthusiasm was evident in her voice. Ash nodded in agreement. "I'm Dani, by the way." Ash looked a bit sheepish that he'd failed to introduce them.

"Lindsey and Billy," Veronica replied with a friendly tone.

"Oh... Which is which?" Dani asked with a confused look on her face. Sensing that her reply must have surprised them, she continued on. "I knew a guy once named Lindsey and of course a few girls named Billie."

Logan chuckled softly, "I'm Billy."

Dani looked at him carefully, "No offense, but you actually look more like a Lindsey than a Billy. You just don't look much like a Billy to me."

Both Logan and Veronica chuckled at her comment, while Ash looked almost mortified for some reason.

"I'm sure you and Ash could get the same question," Logan teased back, making Dani giggle.

"Yeah he does look more like a Danny doesn't he?" Dani said turning to look at Ash better. "I suppose I could pass as an Ash."

Logan glanced down at Veronica and saw she was smirking a little bit. Ash really didn't seem to be enjoying the conversation very much though and seemed relieved when the elevator finally opened on their floor.

"Have a good night," he called out as he quickly shuffled Dani down toward his apartment. Dani looked back over her shoulder and waved at them before they disappeared through his door.

"Well that was entertaining wasn't it _Billie_," Logan said in a teasing tone.

"I think you just enjoyed Ash being slightly horrified, _Lindsey_." She replied with a smirk. Logan shrugged as he followed her into her apartment.

"Well you know..." he replied. "No guy likes his crush to see him with a random hook up. And when said crush happens to be the woman I'm crazy about, there is a certain amount of joy from witnessing it."

She shook her head in a slightly admonishing way, but had a sly little smile on her face as he grabbed a hold of her and pulled her in for a kiss.

"Ready for bed?" She asked as they separated slightly.

"Sure, but you still owe me some talkin' time," he said with a leer.

"I remember..." She said almost reluctantly as she pulled him toward the bedroom. She went over to a dresser and pulled out a tank top and shorts and headed into the bathroom to change. He'd brought in his bag he'd taken to the track and searched through it for a pair of light shorts to sleep in. He always kept an extra toothbrush in it too and grabbed that waiting for her to open the door again.

He was pondering over the enigma that was Veronica Mars as he waited. _This morning and this afternoon she was happy to join me completely naked in the shower and now she's retreated alone to the bathroom to change for bed_. He certainly wasn't going to push her on that though.

She came out a few minutes later and gave him a little smile as he stood up and headed in to brush his teeth. He stopped briefly and gave her a quick kiss. "Mmmm... minty" he said with a little wink.

When he came back out a few minutes later she was sitting in bed, leaning up against her headboard waiting for him. _At least she didn't fall asleep already to avoid talking._ He went over to the other side of the bed and crawled in. He laid down a bit lower on the bed on his stomach, but bunched the pillow up under his arms so he could look up at her. She gave him a little smile, then scooted down toward him and gave him a quick kiss then rested on her side carefully watching him too.

"Hi," she said in a soft tentative voice.

He shifted slightly so he could run his fingers over her cheek and play with stands of her hair. "Hi," he replied back with an almost shy smile.

"So grand inquisitor, what would you like to know now?" She asked with a smirk. "Sadly, I still haven't been with a hooker." She gave him a disappointed pout.

"Really?" He asked with a faux shocked look. "Well it's always good to have goals to strive for."

She gave him an amused look and shook her head slightly. She took a deep breath. "Seriously though, I'll answer your questions and you can tell me what Trevor said at the bar that pissed you off." She gave him a serious look to emphasize that she wasn't going to let him off the hook about that.

"Okay, fine. Then let's start with what Trevor did to _you_ that he was profusely apologizing for during your phone call."

She sighed and nodded. _I'm glad to see she's gotten past the 'there's nothing to say' stage. _ "During my last big case… the one in Seattle… we were assigned as partners. I came up with a plan during a crunch moment and he said he thought it was a good plan and backed me on it. When it all went south and the suspect got away, he denied agreeing with the plan and let me take the blame. He even went as far as to say he had told me it was a bad idea. I got pulled from the case... he got a new partner... they caught the guy a few weeks later and Trevor got promoted to a new position in DC... while I got suspended from field work for a month."

"Did you report it to your superiors?"

"It would have just been my word against his, and it was my plan anyway... He could have still backed me up though, but he didn't. So we didn't part ways on the best of terms." She paused a moment before she went on. "So what did he say to you tonight?"

"Hmm... right... basically not to waste my time getting hung up on you since you'd be tossing me to the curb as soon as the case was over."

She made a face and rolled her eyes. "He's such an asshole."

"An extremely jealous asshole." Logan added with a smirk. "He also said he intended to win you back."

She let out a huff and shook her head. "Egotistical asshole."

Logan tried not to show any sign of doubt at the next part, but wasn't sure yet how true it may actually be. "And that you care more about your career than anything else."

"Obviously he's talking about himself there." She said a bit angrily without hesitation. "He's the one who didn't stand up for me at all."

_I'm not going to point out that she said herself she's sacrificed a lot for her career. _Logan nodded and gave her an understanding smile. He waited a minute, and then asked the other thing he was wondering about her and Trevor. "Did you two date for very long?"

She let out a little sigh and shrugged. "We weren't really 'dating' in the normal sense you know, since relationships among agents working together is heavily frowned upon. We'd known each other for several years though, and he'd hit on me several times, but we didn't get involved until a little under a year ago." _Of course, probably right after she returned from seeing Gabriela in my hospital room in Sau Paulo._ "We weren't always on the same cases though, so even during the time we were _together_, we spent a fair amount of time apart too."

He nodded and played with her hair again while he thought about her response. _If the Seattle case was only a few months ago, they'd been 'together', for quite a while actually. _He estimated they were seeing each other for almost nine months based on what she'd told him. He suddenly realized that during their own on-again off-again history, they'd never actually made it a full nine consecutive months. And then it also struck him that her longest consecutive relationship had probably been with Piz.

She'd been quietly watching him before she finally prodded him again. "What's next on your list of questions," she asked and then let out a huge yawn.

"I see what your doing there, sleeping beauty, and it won't work." He said with a teasing smile. She smirked back and shook her head.

His own smile faded as he suddenly thought back to what he had been contemplating during dinner. "Do you think… do you think if Morgan hadn't been a bad guy, you would have gone through with marrying him?"

Veronica sighed and rolled onto her back staring at the ceiling. "Karma really is a bitch, isn't she?"

He reached over and gently turned her face back toward him. He sighed and gave her a slightly frustrated look.

"That's not exactly the question you're asking is it?" She looked intently into his eyes. "You really want to know if I loved him enough to marry him."

He sighed again and nodded. She shook her head slightly before she answered. "It's sort off a moot point now, since he was a criminal." He kept staring at her with the same serious expression. _That's not really an answer._ "Why does it matter Logan? I honestly don't really even know anymore." She turned her face up towards the ceiling again. "At the time I thought I might have. I did accept his proposal after all." She let out a deep sigh. "Realistically though, I think I knew that it wouldn't have worked out with me being an agent and not telling him that before it went that far. And then there was the whole issue of him attacking and shooting me."

"Wait... attacked? There was more than just getting shot?" Veronica closed her eyes and grimaced slightly. "Veronica?" _What the hell did that guy do to her?_ Logan could feel a new surge of anger threatening to overtake him again.

"Logan... it was two years ago. I really don't want to talk about it any more. Can we just drop this now? I don't see how rehashing this is pertinent to the present."

He rolled on to his back too and let out a frustrated breath. _Who am I madder at, her for not telling me everything or me for insisting I need to know? She's probably right, what exactly happened with him shouldn't matter now._ He turned his head to look at her again and she still had her eyes closed, facing the ceiling. He reached over and turned her face gently back to him again. She opened her eyes and gave him an uneasy look. "Okay," he replied in an understanding tone. She gave him a small smile and let out a thankful breath.

He leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips, while she reached up and ran her hand over his cheek and took a deep breath. Logan turned his head so he could kiss her palm. "Do you have any questions you want to ask me?" He said as he looked back at her.

She gave him a somber look and nodded. "Did you have any other serious relationships besides Gabriela?"

He gave her a grim smile and shook his head. "No, I felt so bad about hurting her, I just didn't want to go through that again, so tried my hardest to avoid it I guess."

She bit on her lip and nodded slightly. "Your turn?" She asked as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"How about you? Besides Piz, Morgan and Trevor, have there been any other serious relationships?"

Veronica shook her head and said a quiet 'no'.

He nodded in reply, and then he went back to thinking about how long she'd been with Trevor and wondered how serious it really had gotten before the incident in Seattle. He hadn't realized how long they'd been seeing each other before the remarks in the bar, and if they had really been together almost nine months, he could see why Trevor might think he could win her back after letting her cool off for a while. "You were with Trevor quite awhile though weren't you? Even if you weren't '_together_' officially."

She shrugged. "I thought we already covered this one?"

"I guess… it's just…" He let out a frustrated sigh. "We never made it more than what, six months without something happening to tear us apart, and it seemed like you were with Trevor for longer than that. So I was still wondering how serious the two of you had been before Seattle."

She gave him a compassionate look. "Logan, I certainly wasn't in love with Trevor." She let out a slow breath. "It was just easy to be with someone who was in the same situation I was in. We understood the complications of being FBI agents and it was just easier than trying to juggle a relationship with someone who wouldn't understand that." She hesitated for a moment. "It had just been a while and he was there at the right time I guess, and so it just sort of happened and it was easy to just keep doing it."

He cringed slightly, but decided it probably wasn't really that much different than all the one night stands he hooked up with to avoid anything real with anyone else. She just chose to be with someone who technically she didn't have to worry about committing to because they couldn't as agents working together. It sort of provided the same risk free situation that he'd tried to create himself. He decided that was probably enough on Trevor, at least for now. "Back to you…" He said with a small smile.

Her expression became a bit more serious again and she bit on her lip before she spoke again. "Well how about _you_… You were with Gabriela a very long time, did you ever propose or think about marrying her?"

He was a little surprised by the question, though he probably shouldn't have been. He took a deep breath and thought a little about his answer before he began. "After we'd been together for a while, Marcos went through a pretty ugly divorce. I think being around when that was happening, neither of us wanted to think about marriage." He hesitated for a moment before he continued. "When things fell apart with us, I was trying to not lose her and I brought it up then. I guess as a last ditch effort to try to fix things, which I know was a stupid idea, but at the time I was grasping at straws to try to make things better. Obviously she saw it for what it was and didn't even acknowledge it with an answer."

Her expression stayed grim, but she did give him a little nod. He wasn't really sure how to interpret her reaction. He couldn't tell if she was upset over it or not. He waited a moment to see what she would do, hoping to get a clue or to see if she'd say something more about it. She finally took a deep breath and a small smile finally crossed her lips. "I think the ball is back in your court."

He nodded and took a moment to think about what he wanted to ask next. He finally took a deep breath and then asked about one thing that he still didn't completely understand. "A couple of nights ago, you said you didn't think things could work out between us. Was that because of what happened with Morgan or somehow related to Trevor?" She let out a small sigh and shook her head. "Then why did you say that?"

"Because of my job..." He looked at her waiting for her to continue. She let out a frustrated laugh. "It's ironic you know? My job is the thing that finally brought us back together, but I'm worried it would become the thing that would tear us apart too."

He gave her a confused look. "Why do you think that would happen?"

She looked intently into his eyes and moved her hand back to his cheek and gently stroked along his cheekbone with her thumb. "Because I've seen it happen with other agents." Trevor's comment about normal relationships suddenly popped into his head. "You know when this case is over… I'll have to move on to another case."

He nodded. "I know…"

She took a deep breath, "I don't think you'll be too thrilled if I have to go undercover and cozy up to suspects or work closely with other agents."

Logan raised his eyebrow and looked at her questioningly. He let out a small sigh before he continued. "I trust you though."

She raised her eyebrows skeptically in return. "Logan… It's easy enough to say that now, but when it actually happens…" she looked away from his eyes, down to his lips for a moment before looking back into his eyes and giving him a sad smile. "I've seen it happen too often. Eventually it's too much for relationships and they fall apart." _I can imagine why she's skeptical given her relationships with both a civilian and an agent didn't turn out very well. But they weren't me and they couldn't have loved her as much as I do._

"Will you try to have a little faith in me? In us?" He asked softy as he moved his hand up and brushed a few stray strands of hair off her face. She took a deep breath and smiled slightly as she nodded. He leaned in and kissed her softly, then pulled back and gave her a warm smile. "I know you may still think of me as the fucked up 19 year old I was when I left, but I'm not that guy anymore, and I really do want to make this work Veronica."

She looked more intently at him and shook her head. "Logan, I don't think that about you."

He took a deep breath before he continued. "Do you want to make this work Veronica?" As soon as the words left his mouth he felt a wave of anxiety wash over him as he worried about what her reaction was going to be.

Her expression changed to the uncertain shy look she occasionally gave him when he knew she felt really vulnerable and then she nodded. He could tell by the look in her eyes that she really meant it, even if she wasn't able to say everything she was actually feeling with words yet. Relief replaced the anxiety that had been there only seconds before. He leaned forward and kissed her again, letting his lips linger over hers for a little while before he pulled them away. He left his forehead resting against hers for a moment, and then tipped his head up to kiss her on the temple.

_That's probably enough deep stuff for tonight._ "I know you probably can't or don't want to tell me about all the cases you've worked on, but I'd love to hear more about other places you visited. You mentioned New Orleans at dinner."

Her expression changed to be surprised and she smiled and nodded. She moved her entire body a little closer to him and traced little patterns on his chest with her fingers as she seemed to be thinking back over the last three years. "Let's see... oh, I went to this little town on the Oregon coast for a case... Tillamook... and visited the Tillamook Cheese Factory before I left after we had wrapped up the case." She grinned and waggled her eyebrows at him. "They also make ice cream too of course."

He couldn't help but smile over her enthusiasm about dairy products. "I can just imagine you volunteering for the assignment knowing there might be ice cream involved," he replied with a teasing smirk on his face. He narrowed his eyes and tried to look serious as he asked, "the case of the missing Chunky Monkey?" She nodded enthusiastically and a soft laugh escaped her.

"A lot of our cases though were just around LA. I went to Vegas a few times too and of course Seattle and New Orleans. Oh and once down to Bisbee, Arizona. Ratner insisted we go on a ghost tour before we left." She rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly, and then her expression turned a bit amused. "And I actually did go to a small town in Idaho for a case."

He smirked at her again, "Ah the case of the missing French fries, or was it a dairy cow? I seem to see a theme around dairy happening here." She laughed and shook her head at him, poking him lightly in the side.

After the laugh, she yawned again and gave Logan a sheepish grin. "Really not just faking that," she said with a shy smile and pointed to herself.

"I know," he replied before he leaned in and placed his hand behind her head and kissed her forehead. "You didn't get much sleep last night."

She nodded and ran her hand over his face and into his hair too. "Thanks for your help with the case today."

He nodded and leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. He wasn't thrilled that she'd be spending time the next day with Trevor again, but he was going to do his best not to act like a jealous idiot about it, especially considering her attitude towards him. _I'm not convinced that she's worked out all her issues about what happened with Morgan, but I don't want to dredge that up again tonight so I'm going to let it go for now. _She yawned again and scooted over so she could rest her head on his chest.

"Any more pressing questions for tonight or can we get some shut eye?" She asked in a sleepy sounding voice.

"I think that's enough for tonight," he said and kissed the top of her head.

She sat up and smiled and reached over to turn the lights off. After she had turned them off, she moved back over toward him so she could gently nuzzled her head against his and placed a few soft kisses on his lips. "Good night, Logan." She said softly before snuggling against his chest again.

"Good night, Veronica," he replied and kissed the top of her head. Her admission that she did want to make things work, was such a relief from all the worries he had before. He wasn't foolish enough to think being involved with an FBI field agent was going to be easy, but when was anything they'd ever done easy. _They don't write songs about the ones that come easy…_ He smiled slightly to himself as he thought of his quote from all those years ago and how many times he'd been reminded of it since she came back into his life just two weeks ago. He could tell she'd already fallen asleep and he placed one more gentle kiss on top of her head before he let sleep over take him as well.


	34. Chapter 34

_**A/N – I'm glad everyone seemed to enjoy the last chapter with them finally getting a chance for more talking. This one is less talking, more LoVe-ing. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think. **_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 34

As Logan slowly started waking up the next morning, he could feel Veronica's arm wrapped around his waist, even before he opened his eyes. He sighed softly, relieved that she was still there in bed and hadn't run off again. He cracked an eye open and saw that while her arm was wrapped around him, her head was smashed into her pillow facing the other way. His arm was also wrapped around her waist and his leg was lying on top of one of hers. He nuzzled his face into her hair and kissed her head. He heard her mumble something incoherently into the pillow. He pulled her a little closer and brushed her hair off her neck so he could place kisses down her neck toward her shoulder. She moaned and arched up toward his mouth a little bit. She was lying on her stomach, so he sat up slightly and continued kissing down her shoulders and onto her back, kissing whatever skin he could reach around the tank top she was wearing.

She finally turned so her body was facing toward him and gave him a sleepy smile. "Good morning," she said as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Yes it is," he said a bit blissfully. "Waking up next to you is the best way to start the day." Her smile grew a bit larger as she woke up even more. _It feels so good to wake up next to her again_. He repositioned himself so he could kiss her mouth. She responded by moving so she could wrap her leg around his and pulled him closer to her.

Thoughts of their conversation the prior night were bouncing around in his head. He was so relieved that she had admitted, at least with a nod, that she really did want to try to make things work. _I'll have to be happy enough with that confirmation until she feels comfortable opening up more with me._ He wanted nothing more than to tell her how much he loved her, but he was still worried about whether she was ready for that yet. Of course he'd basically admitted to it before, but saying 'I love you' for some reason seemed different some how.

Their slow kisses quickly became deeper and more passionate the longer they went on. He felt her fingers grazing above the band of his shorts after running from his shoulders down his back._ I still can't believe how electric her touch feels against my skin._ He moved his head so he could suck on her neck and let his fingers find their way under her tank top, gently caressing her stomach before slowly moving higher toward her breasts. The higher his fingers seemed to move, the lower hers went and soon her hand was urgently grabbing at him under his shorts pulling him firmer up against her as he rubbed small circles over one of her nipples with his thumb. Her breathing had become shallower and he pushed her tank top up higher so his mouth could replace the space occupied by his thumb, letting his tongue take over, while his hand moved down to push her shorts off. She quickly reciprocated, helping him get out of his. She arched up against his mouth, running the fingers of her other hand through his hair, tugging slightly at him.

"I want to feel just you," she finally said in a soft breathless voice. Logan lifted his head up and looked at her for a moment, trying to figure out what she meant. He moved his hand up to her head and gently pushed her hair back, searching her eyes, silently pleading with her to explain. She gave him a small smile and moved her arm between them, catching him off guard as she guided him into her.

"Veron..." he started to say with a gasp, not expecting that, but also not able to completely respond either. He hadn't been with anyone like that since Gabriela. She moved her head to capture his lips with hers ending the small protest he was about to try to make, although he didn't think he would have actually been able to get any other words out. It felt so amazing and more intimate than he'd felt in so very long. _She is absolutely beautiful in every single way._ He thrust into her a few times then stopped. He was breathing hard and couldn't quite find the ability to speak. He looked at her with a questioning expression, trying to be sure this was really what she wanted to do so he could stop before it was too late.

"It's okay," she said softly again. "Please don't stop." Her hands gripped him tightly and she arched up against him again. She pressed her mouth against his and kissed him so desperately. She started rocking her hips, and all he could find the ability to do was to move with her again. He pressed his head against her shoulder, with his eyes closed tight, trying to control himself to make it last as long as she needed.

He felt her hand come up and guide his head back up, "Please look at me Logan," she said in an almost pleading tone. He opened his eyes and saw her blue eyes staring intently at him. He moved his face closer to hers and kissed her lips again, but kept his eyes open, carefully watching her. Her eyes fluttered shut and he could tell she was close to her release. She forced them open again and it looked like she was trying to focus on him, but a moment later they slowly closed again and he could feel her body start to tremble. She was able to open them one more time for a few seconds before a loud moan came out of her mouth through clenched teeth as her eyes closed again. He felt her muscles contracting which pushed him over the edge right behind her as well. He laid there for a moment with his eyes closed trying desperately to catch his breath again. He felt her hand stroke gently over his cheek and her lips pressed softly against his.

He couldn't help himself even though he knew he shouldn't, but he wasn't always in as much control as he liked to pretend he was. "I love you," he said a bit breathlessly, just barely above a whisper when their lips separated slightly. His eyes were still closed because he couldn't bring himself to open them and actually see her expression. _Please don't freak out._ Their lips were just barely touching at that point and he could feel her breath softly tickling the edges of his mouth. She didn't say anything, but she pressed her lips gently against his again and he could feel the smile on them as she kissed him again. He knew those words were never easy for her to say, though she'd never been able to exactly tell him why. The fact that she kissed him and then seemed to hold him a little tighter, were at least positive signs that he hadn't completely freaked her out by saying it.

He had finally caught his breath and lifted his head up slightly to look at her again. He was still a little concerned about what they had just done and it must have shown on his face. She gave him a knowing smile and placed a quick kiss to his lips. "It's okay," she said softly after the kiss. "I'm on something and I knew you wouldn't let me do that if there was any danger from you." The trusting expression on her face overwhelmed him. Mostly because he knew that Veronica Mars had never been the trusting kind before and to be given that much faith from her was one of the best feelings he'd ever experienced before. Her lack of trust in him was certainly one of the recurring issues they had when they were together when they were younger. He smiled back and pressed his mouth to hers again, an uncontrollable smile forming on his lips.

"Thank you," he said softly as their lips parted again.

A playful smile crossed her face. "I'm pretty sure I should be thanking you." She said with a blissful tone in her voice. "That was absolutely the very best way to wake up."

He laughed softly and nodded. "No argument here."

He finally found enough energy to roll over onto his back again and she shifted so she could put her head on his chest. He rested his arm across her back, tangling his fingers up into her hair. After just laying there in silence for a few minutes, she finally sat up a little bit and turned her head up so she could look at him. He absolutely loved her happy afterglow expression and the way her blue eyes were sparkling in the early morning light coming through her bedroom window.

"Do you want to have breakfast with me before you head back to Malibu?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye. "There's a great little café just up the block that makes the fluffiest pancakes and has really good coffee."

He couldn't help but smile thinking back to how often the first thing she'd mention after sex was food when they were in college too. He nodded and pulled her head closer so he could kiss her again. This was his Veronica Mars, not the angry cold FBI agent, nor the fake bubbly Lindsey. This was the woman he wanted to wake up to every morning and go to bed next to every night. When their lips finally broke apart she gave him a sly smile, then climbed off the bed, but reached out and grabbed his hand, pulling him up as well.

"Come on," she said as she tugged on his hand, "quick shower, then we'll go get food."

"I don't think quick and shower are two words that actually go together with you," he said with a leering grin.

She turned and flashed a flirtatious smile over her shoulder as she continued to lead him into the bathroom.

Forty five minutes later they were finally headed out of her apartment to have breakfast. They were almost to the elevator when Logan heard another door in the hall open. He glanced back over his shoulder and saw Ash coming out of his apartment. He was dressed in running clothes and looked almost disappointed to see them again. Logan nodded his head at him and as the elevator door opened, he held it open for Ash to catch up with them.

"Good morning," both Logan and Veronica said at almost the same time to him.

"Yeah, good morning," Ash said back, though Logan thought he had a less than enthusiastic smile on his face.

"No Dani?" Logan asked with a smug grin as he stood closer to Veronica and wrapped his arm across her shoulders. He just couldn't help himself. He probably shouldn't be so overt, but he really wanted to make it clear to Ash that she was his.

Ash shook his head. "Did you already go running this morning?" he asked looking at Veronica.

Veronica shook her head. "No, skipping my normal Saturday morning run. I've got some work I need to do at the magazine a little later so we're just walking up to LuLu's for breakfast."

Ash nodded and gave her a small smile.

"Did you say your big case went to trial this week, or was that next week?" Veronica asked, obviously trying to make Ash feel a bit more at ease.

"It starts Monday morning." Ash replied and looked a little happier that she had asked.

"I'm sure you'll do a great job," Veronica said with a smile.

The elevator reached the first floor and the door opened. "Have a good run," Veronica said to Ash as they walked out of the elevator through the lobby to the sidewalk.

He nodded back in response. "Thanks. Enjoy your breakfast." He gave them a small smile as he put in a pair of earphones and started running up the sidewalk.

Veronica gave Logan a small smile and led him towards the café which was in the opposite direction that Ash had gone. LuLu's Café was sort of small but there were several open tables and Veronica took Logan's hand and pulled him toward one. She gestured for him to climb into the booth first and then slid next to him on the same side. A waitress gave them a quick greeting as she was carrying plates to another table and said she be back with menus in a minute.

"Do you usually go running with Ash?" Logan asked as they waited for the waitress to return. It was obvious that Ash had a huge crush on her, but he wondered if there was some part of her that had been interested in him, at least before Logan had come back.

Veronica gave him a small smile and nodded. "Yeah, sometimes."

Logan picked up a spoon and started flipping it over in his fingers. "Have you two gone on any dates?"

Veronica shook her head. "Well not really. We've gone down to Harley's several times for burgers and beer, I guess. And we've walked down here for breakfast a few times."

Logan set the spoon down and looked at her curiously. "Hmm… those could sort of be considered dates."

She shrugged and rolled her eyes slightly and then a mischievous smile crossed her face. "You're not jealous are you?" She put her hand behind his head and pulled it closer to hers. She pressed her lips to his and kissed him deeply. When she finally did pull her mouth away she still had a sly smile on her face. "He's never gotten one of those."

He couldn't help but grin at her and move in for another quick kiss right before the waitress stopped by their table with menus and coffee. Logan went with the highly recommended banana and chocolate chip pancakes that Veronica ordered as well. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the expressions on her face as she ate hers. After she finished off her strips of bacon, she distracted him with a kiss so she could steal one of his. He quirked an eyebrow at her after the kiss when he realized he'd been played. She just gave him an innocent smile and quickly ate the stolen strip before he tried to get it back. He smiled and held out another piece of his for her to take a bite of. She rewarded him with another kiss before she went back to devouring the rest of her pancakes. 

Once they were finished eating, they headed back to her apartment. He reluctantly packed up his bag so he could head back to Malibu and she could go in to do some work on the case. She had opened her files again on her kitchen counter as he was packing. She was pouring through some of the notes as he came out of the bedroom with his bag. He walked over to the counter and wrapped his arms around her waist and glanced over her shoulder. He saw the picture of Baldwin was lying on the top and a few other pictures that must have been taken when Victoria went to Sau Paulo, as he saw himself in one of them.

A curious thought struck him. None of the agents had been using real names, so he wondered if Victoria was actually her name or not. Of course that was the only name he would have known her by, so it made sense Veronica would call her that. "Was Victoria her real name?" he asked, though he wasn't really sure why other than just being curious.

Veronica put down the paper she was reading and turned in his arms so she could look at him. She gave him a sad smile and shook her head. "No, but I knew you would have thought that was her name, plus it would probably be confusing if I'd said her real name instead." He looked at her with a puzzled expression. "Her real name was Lindsey, Lindsey Harper," she said softly.

"Oh," he smiled gently at her and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

"When I got to pick an alias, I decided to honor her in my own special little way." She looked at him with a loving smile. "And then of course once I had a first name that started with L, well you can figure out the rest, Billy _Deimos_."

He smiled and nodded. She hadn't actually admitted that was why she had the initials she had, but her comment in Sau Paulo made him think it may have been because of him.

She gave him another quick kiss then turned back to her papers and started organizing the file folders again. Once they were in a stack, she turned back toward him. "I'd better head into the office so I can do more digging into Aurelio's background. I was checking the old files I had with me to see if there were any notes on him, but haven't found any yet. There are more case files in the office though."

He nodded and gave her a little wink. "Don't have too much fun with Trevor."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head at him. "Yeah, I'm actually hoping he's already caught a flight back out to DC."

He smiled and reached up to brush some hair from her face. "I hope you won't be stuck in LA too late. You'll touch base later and let me know what time to expect you?"

She nodded. "Yeah," she replied and gave him small smile. "As long as you don't forget your phone in the kitchen again." Logan gave her a knowing smile and nodded.

They walked down to their cars together and took a few extra minutes to say goodbye in the garage. He'd sat his bag on the back of his car, and then walked with Veronica over to hers. He gave her a salacious grin and then leaned in to kiss her, pressing her up against the car and running his hands up and down her ass and thighs. "Mmmm…" he finally moaned as their mouths separated, "I'm really going to miss you this afternoon."

She was a little breathless and sighed and nodded her head. "I'd better go while I still can," she said with a beguiling smile on her lips. Logan leaned in and kissed her one more time before taking a step back so she could open her door and climb into the car. He gave her a little wave as she backed out of her spot and then he walked back over to his car.

_It's going to be torturous to just wait for her to make it back out to Malibu._ He knew that no matter what he ended up doing, he'd no doubt end up wondering about how Trevor was acting towards her based on what he'd said the night before at the bar. He started wondering what exactly she may have told him if anything before they had headed out to the race track. _Had she told him that we were more than just pretending to be a couple?_ Obviously when Ratner and Trevor came to see them in the trailer it should have been apparent that he was more than just a cover story to her. He hoped that she'd be honest with him when she did come home and that they could talk about how things were really going with him. Thoughts of how defensive she could be made him worry slightly, but he also knew that for them to make it work this time they had to learn to trust each other and be honest about everything. He was determined to do whatever it took this time to build a healthy lasting relationship with her and just hoped that she was willing to do the same.


	35. Chapter 35

_**A/N – I'm glad everyone enjoyed all the LoVe in the last chapter. My updates might be a little slower now, but still more than once a week on this story. This chapter is a little bit all over the place, but hopefully there's something in it that people like. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 35

Logan was almost back to Malibu when his cell phone rang and he answered through the Bluetooth speakers. He was surprised to see that it was Raul calling since he figured Heidi would be the one to call Veronica.

"So, my buddy that does the paragliding had a last minute cancellation and wondered if you'd want to give it a try this afternoon?" Raul asked through the phone after a quick hello. "Heidi would come along with me too and then we could get dinner afterwards or something."

"That would be awesome man," Logan replied, although he knew Veronica probably wouldn't be too thrilled based on her reaction the night before. _At least I can say I agreed to do it to get them out to Malibu for her case._ "Actually I was thinking about making feijoada for Lindsey for dinner tonight, and you two would be welcome to join us. I know it won't be as good as you've probably had since I don't have time to really make it totally authentic, but I've been craving it a bit and thought she might like it too."

"Mmmm, man I haven't had feijoada for ages. I'll text you the address to the beach we'll be meeting at. Can you meet at 3pm? That will give us a good hour for gliding and still have time to help pack everything up and then go to your place for dinner?"

"Perfect, that will give me time to pick up stuff for dinner and get it started before I come to meet you. I'll let Lindsey know our plans. She had to go in to do some work at the magazine, but will be back to Malibu by dinner."

Raul laughed, "And then she won't be there to freak out over you actually paragliding. She didn't look terribly thrilled with the idea last night."

Logan laughed in response. "Yeah, I guess that's her punishment for leaving me unsupervised today."

They said a quick good bye and Logan hit Veronica's number on his phone.

"Miss me already?" She teased as she answered his call.

"Of course," he said with a silly grin on his face in reply. "How's it going?"

"Ah, not terrible at least," she said in reply. He thought it sounded like she was moving around and wondered if she was going someplace else to talk with him. _Perhaps someplace away from Trevor._

"So I just got a call from Raul," Logan continued.

"Oh, I sort of thought Heidi would call me," Veronica said in a puzzled tone.

"Yeah, well…" he hesitated because he knew she probably wasn't going to be thrilled with what he was going to do and it probably came through in his tone. He heard a small unhappy sound come from her. He wondered if she wanted to scold him, but probably wasn't in a place that she could call him Logan and somehow 'Billy' probably wouldn't hold the same weight. "He's coming out to Malibu to paraglide and invited me along." He heard the same unhappy sound again and the closing of a door.

Her voice was a bit quieter than it had been when she started talking to him. "Logan, I don't think that's a good idea."

"Come on Veronica," Logan said with a disbelieving tone. "I'm sure it will be perfectly safe. Don't get me started on all the dangerous things you likely do." Again, the unhappy sound came through the phone.

"What time are you meeting him?" she asked. Clearly she didn't sound pleased with the idea based on her tone.

"3pm. Heidi will be with him too of course and then they are coming back to our place for dinner."

She let out a frustrated sigh. "I don't know if I'll be able to make it there by 3, but I'll be there by 5 for sure. But send me a message with where you'll be meeting him to paraglide and I'll see if I can't make it out there too."

"Okay, as soon as I get home, I'll forward the information to you too."

He heard her take in a deep breath. "Please be careful," she said in a quiet voice.

"Of course," Logan said with a smile on his lips. "See you later."

She said goodbye and he ended the call. He had a lot to get done before he went to meet Raul and Heidi at the beach, including some more grocery shopping for the meal he wanted to make for dinner.

Logan had been able to find everything he needed to make the bean and meat stew, and put it on the stove to cook while they were out paragliding. Raul had sent the address before he made it back to the house, and Logan sent it on to Veronica. He could tell the address was close to Dick's house when he put it into his GPS. He headed over and got there a few minutes before Raul and Heidi pulled in. Raul's friend Tony met them there a few minutes later. Raul and Logan helped Tony get all the gear out of his truck and down to the beach, while Heidi and Zippy walked along the sand looking for a good spot to put the chair she'd brought along. Logan noticed she had a book with her too. Obviously she was prepared to just hang out and enjoy the sun while the guys were up in the air.

It took them awhile to get all the gear set up and then for Tony to give him basic instructional information before they finally took off. He'd watched other people paragliding before and thought it looked like fun, but it was even more exhilarating than he'd imagined. He could see why Raul enjoyed doing it. Even though he was doing a tandem flight with Tony, he still felt so free flying so high above everything. They eventually ended the flight and landed again on the beach where they had taken off from. Logan smiled as he glanced over at Heidi and saw Veronica was there sitting next to her in the sand. She gave him a small wave as she saw him look over at her. Raul came down right after they did and they went about packing up all the gear.

Veronica wandered over to where they were working and he took a quick break to wrap his arms around her. He picked her up off the ground a few inches and kissed her. "Was it fun?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye. He could tell she knew the answer already by the expression her face. He nodded enthusiastically and gave her one more quick kiss on the lips before he set her back down and released her.

"You'll have to try it next time sweetie," Logan said with a playful smirk on his lips. He recalled she wasn't thrilled with heights though from when they were growing up.

She quickly shook her head. "I sort of like keeping my feet on the ground," she quickly replied. "I don't even really like flying in actual airplanes." _Unless we're snuggled up in first class together._

"You don't know what you're missing," Logan teased back as he leaned down to help the other two continue packing up the gear.

They had carried most of the gear back up and were standing near Tony's truck when a familiar black Hummer pulled in next to Logan's Mazerati. _Fuck, Dick. Please don't let him blow our cover._ Logan quickly said he'd be right back to Tony and jogged over as Dick was starting to climb out of the Hummer.

"Dude," he said as Logan quickly made his way to him. "I thought that looked like your car.' Logan gave him a warning look and nodded. He saw Dick's eyes land on Veronica and Heidi who were walking up from the beach. "Wow, is that Ronnie's long lost twin sister or what?" He said as Logan grimaced and hoped Raul didn't hear him call her Ronnie. He glanced over his shoulder and saw that Raul was helping Tony secure something in the back of his truck and didn't seem to have noticed. Logan took a step closer to Dick.

"Dick, it's Lindsey remember. And Billy." He gave him a stern look and Dick smiled and nodded.

"Right, I forgot." Dick said and then lowered his voice, "No worries man."

Logan took a deep breath and cringed. He really hadn't wanted to run into Dick this afternoon. Logan looked in Veronica's direction and could tell she'd spotted Dick now by the slightly annoyed look on her face. Logan's car was parked right next to Raul's SUV and that was where they were headed.

"Lindsey," Dick said in a loud voice with a leering smile. "I didn't know you had a twin sister." He waggled his eyebrows at both of them.

Veronica rolled her eyes and shook her head. Logan could see her annoyance growing by the second. As the two women reached Raul's vehicle Veronica took a deep breath before she spoke. "Hey Dick, what a surprise."

Dick walked closer, apparently oblivious or just not caring that Veronica seemed to be completely annoyed by his presence.

"Well my place is just right up the street from here." Dick said with a wolfish grin. "Are you going to introduce me to your friend?"

Veronica scoffed a bit before she answered him. "Dick… Heidi… she's the _wife_ of one of the other guys that Billy is racing with." She pointed over toward where Raul and Tony were standing. "That's her _husband_ over there, Raul."

Dick quickly glanced over his shoulder in the direction she'd pointed, but didn't really seem to care. "I'm always looking for new talent for my modeling agency," he continued, focusing on Heidi. "Have you ever done any modeling? I bet you'd look amazing on a runway… especially in lingerie."

Veronica's eyes practically popped out of her head. If she'd been a cartoon character, Logan was sure that there would be smoke coming out of her ears at that point. Heidi fortunately had a good sense of humor and laughed while she rolled her eyes.

"Okay Dick," Logan said as he wrapped his arm across his shoulder and started to steer him back to his vehicle. "I think it's time for you to go."

"Nice to meet you," Dick yelled over his shoulder as he followed Logan back to his car. Logan could hear Veronica apologizing to Heidi as they were walking away.

"Dude, so help me…" Logan groaned as they continued to walk. "I'll get a hold of you later okay? Just go now before you cause any more trouble."

Dick gave him an indignant look, but didn't argue. "Fine, you still owe me some more hanging out time." Logan nodded and gave him a pained smile as he finally climbed into his Hummer to leave. Logan took a deep breath and headed back over to Raul and Tony. _Well I guess that could have gone worse, but it definitely didn't go as well as I would have liked._

Veronica had given Heidi the address to the house while she was waiting with her, so as soon as they finished up loading the gear and Logan had paid and thanked Tony, they headed back to the house. Raul was still talking with Tony as Logan and Veronica drove off, so they got back a few minutes before the other two. Logan opened the garage door for both of them to park inside. He gave her a sheepish expression as he climbed out and walked over to her.

"Sorry about Dick," he said with a regretful look on his face.

"Well I guess it could have been worse," she said with a sigh. "At least he didn't call us Logan and Veronica."

Logan nodded and gave her a small smile. He led the way into the house, holding the door for her to walk inside.

"Oh my…" she said as she walked in and took a deep breath. "What is that heavenly smell?"

He smiled as she turned to look at him with wide eyes. "It's called feijoada." Logan explained as they headed into the kitchen. "It was one of my favorite dishes in Brazil. They use shellfish in so many dishes that I had to find things that wouldn't actually kill me when I was there. I had to improvise a little bit since the full authentic dish would take longer to make, but I still think it will be pretty good."

"Well it smells delicious," Veronica said as she took another deep breath, enjoying the aroma.

The door bell rang and Veronica said she'd get it as Logan went to check on the food. Since it still had a little while left to cook, they decided to sit out on the patio and enjoy the view. Logan started the fire pit up and brought out a pitcher of ice tea for everyone. Zippy had been resting by Heidi's feet when they first sat down, but after they'd been sitting for a little while, he got up and started sniffing around.

"I'd better take him for a little walk," Heidi said as she stood up and hooked his leash back on him.

"I'll come with you," Veronica said hopping up from her seat and following Heidi toward the sand.

As the women disappeared from view, Raul and Logan were starting to talk about what Logan thought about the paragliding when Archie came running up on the patio from the opposite direction that Veronica and Heidi had gone.

"Hey buddy," Logan said as Archie jumped up on his legs. He laughed slightly and scratched behind his ears. Raul gave him a curious look, so Logan thought he'd better explain. "This is Archie. He belongs to our neighbor, but seems to have figured out I'm a sucker for those big puppy dog eyes and that he can scam food from me."

Raul laughed as Archie stood there happily wagging his tail.

"Archie!" Bryn yelled out as she came running up from the direction that Archie had come from. "I'm so sorry!" She said as she made it almost up to the patio. Logan smiled and shook his head.

"No prob…" he cut off when he saw Connor a few steps behind her. _Fuck, we just can't catch a break today can we?_

Logan quickly hopped up. "I'll be right back," he said to Raul as he headed over to try to cut off Connor before he got close enough that Raul would be able to hear them.

Archie followed Logan, who was briskly walking toward Bryn. "I see your boyfriend made it back." She gave him a smile and nodded, and Logan kept walking toward Connor, holding his hand out as he did. He was really hoping they were still far enough away that Raul wouldn't be able to hear them.

"Hey Billy," Raul called out, "I'm going to go see how the women are doing." Logan turned back quickly and nodded at Raul. He let out a thankful sigh and turned back toward Connor, who had now caught up and was standing with Bryn.

"Billy Deimos, this is Connor Larkin," Bryn explained. "This is the wonderful neighbor I was telling you about who's been kind enough to feed me several times this week."

Connor reached out his hand and gave Logan a curious look. "Logan?" He asked cautiously.

Logan grimaced slightly. "It's actually Billy now." Bryn looked between the two men with a confused expression on her face.

Connor nodded and smiled. "Right… I ran into that friend of yours about a year ago… Rick? Nick?"

"Dick," Logan answered.

"Right… he said you were racing cars in Brazil and had been going by a different name. I don't really blame you man, after everything." Connor grimaced a bit and shook his head.

"Yeah, it was a lot easier just being someone else." Logan said with a sigh. Connor nodded in understanding.

"So wow, what a crazy coincidence that you're renting the place next to me." Connor continued with a smile. Bryn was still giving them a completely confused look. Connor must have noticed and turned to her, lowering his voice when he spoke. "I'll explain later." He gave her a little wink, and she just sighed and shook her head.

"Yeah… hey, can we talk for a minute?" Logan asked. _I really don't want him to realize he also knows Veronica if they all come back up before Connor and Bryn are gone._ "Lindsey and the others are just up the beach, if you want to go join them." Logan said with a friendly smile to Bryn, hoping she'd be understanding. "They have a dog with them too."

"Okay…" she said narrowing her eyes at them. "Come on Archie." She shot a look at Connor that clearly implied he'd have some explaining to do later.

Logan waited for her to disappear before he spoke again. "Hey, I need to ask for a huge favor." He took a deep breath and looked at Connor, really hoping that they were still good enough friends for this not to be an issue.

Connor narrowed his eyes at him and looked a little worried, but he nodded for Logan to continue.

"So I don't know if you remember Veronica Mars, pesky little blond who helped solve that poker cheating incident years ago?" A large grin spread across Connor's face and he nodded. _Of course who could ever forget Veronica Mars_? "Well she's still doing investigation type stuff and she's actually sort of under cover right now and you can't call her Veronica or mention having met her before, okay?"

Connor smiled and nodded. "Is she still working for the FBI?"

Logan was completely taken by surprised. "Yeah…"

"It's Lindsey right?" He asked with a grin._ What the fuck?_ Logan nodded but clearly wasn't happy.

"Yeah I ran into her when her team busted Peter Daly. She was doing photography for some magazine or something right?"

Logan felt his jaw tighten and he nodded. _Oh they were so going to talk about this later._

Logan could tell that Connor was putting the pieces together now. _Maybe he'd gotten a bit brighter since the last time I saw him._ "So that's the Lindsey that Bryn's been going on about. I can see now why she'd find her so interesting." Connor said with a smirk. "And you two, huh? Bryn went on and on about what a cute couple the two of you were."

Logan nodded his head. "Yeah." _Yeah, a cute couple who obviously still need to work on our communication skills._

"No worries man," Connor said as he slapped Logan on the shoulder. "It really is good to see you." He looked at Logan with a sincere smile. It actually did feel pretty good to see him too. He'd been gone so long and had really only kept in touch with Dick and Mac, so seeing someone else who knew him as Logan was sort of nice. He remembered feeling a similar way when he first ran into Weevil and then convinced him to come to Brazil with him. Even if he and Weevil hadn't been great friends before, they still had things that had bonded them together even before he'd left, and those links to his past had actually meant more than he ever thought they would.

Logan gestured with his head toward the direction that the others had gone, "Well let's go join the rest of the party then."

Connor nodded and let Logan lead the way. The others were actually heading back up to the patio before they made it down the steps. Logan saw Heidi's eyes get a little wide when she saw Connor standing there with him. Veronica had a bit of a chagrined look on her face instead.

"Hey Lindsey," Connor said with a friendly smile, "Nice to see you again."

Veronica smiled and nodded, then shot a quick nervous look at Logan.

"That's right," Bryn said, realization apparently dawning on her. "You were at that photo shoot with Peter too since you guys had both just wrapped on the same movie. That was right before he and I split up and we started dating. I'd forgotten that you would have met Lindsey too. Small world." Bryn shot a quick glance at Logan as well. _Way too fucking small._

"Right…" Veronica said, as if she could somehow pretend she just remembered that too. _You are so busted my dear._ "Nice to see you again Connor."

"We were about to have dinner," Logan chimed in, deciding to end the potential for continued awkwardness at least out on the patio. "Would you like to join us?"

Bryn smirked and then shook her head. "No, but thank you. We have dinner reservations and we were just taking Archie for a quick walk when he bolted over to visit his favorite chef." Archie was currently running in small circles around Logan's legs, making it very obvious who his favorite chef was.

Logan bent down to pet Archie, which caused him to stop running around him and sit down. "Sorry buddy, maybe next time." Archie cocked his head as Logan stood back up and stopped petting him, apparently not happy at the loss of attention.

"Come on Archie," Bryn called, as Archie stayed glued to the spot in front of Logan wagging his tail and looking up at him with his head still tilted. It was probably the head tilt that did it, just like Veronica's, but Logan felt bad sending him away to hang out in an empty house.

"We could um…" he glanced quickly at Veronica. "We could dog sit while the two of you are out if you'd like." He saw a small smile cross Veronica's face and she nodded too.

Bryn glanced quickly at Logan, then Veronica and then over at Connor. "We might be gone for quite a while and I'd hate to come over really late to retrieve him."

"He could stay the night and you could get him in the morning if you'd like." Veronica chimed in. "I could walk back over with the two of you to get some food for him while Billy finishes up dinner."

"If you're sure," Bryn said a bit hesitantly looking back and forth between the two of them.

"I think it's a great idea," Heidi added as well. "Zippy doesn't get to hang out with other dogs much, and I'm sure he'd enjoy it too."

Raul looked a bit skeptically at Zippy who had flopped down at Heidi's feet again. At the mention of his name though he did perk up his head for a minute and looked at Heidi.

"Well, okay." Bryn finally replied with a tentative smile. "I'll be over to get him first thing in the morning though so he doesn't interfere with whatever plans you have for the day."

Veronica smiled and nodded and the three of them started walking back toward Connor's house. Archie turned his head for a moment as they started to walk off, but quickly shifted it back to Logan.

"Wow, you really have quite a little furry fan there don't you?" Heidi asked in a teasing tone as she walked over toward Archie and knelt down by him. He shifted his attention from Logan to her and happily wagged his tail as she reached out to scratch him behind the ears. Zippy apparently wasn't thrilled with the development and actually did hop up and amble over to them barking a little at Heidi for attention too. At least the two dogs seemed to get along just fine as long as long as she was giving them both some attention.

Logan glanced over toward Connor's house and could just barely make out Veronica as they turned behind some bushes on their way up to his house. He momentarily wondered how many other surprises were in store for him the longer they were together. Although he did remind himself that he hadn't been completely honest about knowing Bryn from before either. He let out a small sigh. _I wonder if we'll ever get to a point where we don't keep any little secrets from each other._ He just hoped that there weren't any large bombshells that could cause the types of issues that had come up in the past. He felt like he'd gotten all his big items out in the open with Gabriela being the biggest at least, and he was hoping whatever she may not have told him yet, that he'd be mature enough to deal with them as they came up.


	36. Chapter 36

_**A/N – The next couple of chapters are sort of intermediary chapters for something bigger that's coming up so please be a little patient with things. A little more ArLo ( as irma66 dubbed Archie/Logan) in this chapter. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 36

Logan insisted that Raul and Heidi just sit out on the patio and watch the two dogs while he went in to finish up everything for dinner. He'd also mixed up some ingredients earlier for pão de queijo, a Brazilian cheese bread, which needed about 20 minutes to bake. He was still finishing up his preparations when Veronica came back in with some food for Archie. She set the dog food down and then went over to where Logan was still working in the kitchen.

"It really smells absolutely delicious," she said with a famished look on her face.

Logan glanced quickly out toward the patio to be sure the door was closed and that the other two were still out there. He moved closer to her and spoke in a low voice. "Flattery is not going to get you out of trouble for not telling me Connor knew you were working undercover for the FBI," he replied with an indignant expression, though his tone was more annoyed than angry.

She gave him a sheepish smile. "What? I said I'd seen him twice." She held up two fingers for emphasis before she continued talking and then wiggled each one in turn as she talked. "Once when we were still in high school and another time a few years ago when I was working on that other case right after I joined the Bureau." She gave him a mischievous smile. "You were just too preoccupied thinking about him naked I guess to pay close enough attention to what I was saying to ask me to clarify."

He narrowed his eyes at her and grabbed her around the waist. "The only person I want to think about naked is you." He gave her a lascivious smile before kissing her firmly on the lips. "I'll be sure to come up with an appropriate punishment later for you."

She leaned in to whisper seductively in his ear. "Mmmm… I can't wait for you to punish me for being such a bad girl."

His breath caught for a moment, and she giggled as she kissed him chastely on the cheek and then went about getting the plates and utensils for the table.

She helped him get everything set up on the dining room table and then they called in Raul and Heidi. Heidi had a bit of a star struck expression on her face as she asked Veronica about knowing Connor. "So you've met him before?" she asked inquisitively.

Veronica nodded and smiled. "Yeah, our magazine has done several articles and photo shoots with celebrities and he was at one a couple years ago. I think he only remembered me because he said I reminded him of someone he'd met years before." _I see sprinkling in a little truth makes the lies sound more believable at least._

"How exciting," Heidi said in response. "We don't get any celebrities in our little bank out in Rancho Cucamonga. And Bryn Delaney too? I've always thought she seems like she would be such a nice person."

"She certainly is a sweetheart," Veronica replied with a fond smile on her face. "She's been over a few times with Archie since we moved in and she's just so down to earth for being a Hollywood actress."

"And Archie," Heidi said with a smile, "he's such a cutie. I could totally see why Billy would want a dog after hanging out with him for a little while." Logan smiled and nodded in agreement.

Raul interrupted the conversation about dogs and actors with compliments for Logan on how good the stew and bread tasted. The women quickly agreed with him, gushing over the meal as well. Logan explained how he's allergic to shellfish and didn't realize before he went to Brazil how many dishes seemed to be made with shrimp and other shellfish there so he had to work pretty hard to find things to eat that wouldn't end up killing him.

"Did you eat a lot of virado à paulista when you were there?" Raul asked between bites of his dinner.

Logan smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'll have to make that for Lindsey next time. You like kale and plantains right babe?"

Veronica gave him an uncertain look and squished up her nose slightly. Raul laughed when he saw her expression. "He left out that it has sausage, eggs and beans too." Raul added with smirk.

Veronica's expression became a little less uncertain. "How can anything with sausage be bad, right?" She asked a bit tentatively.

Logan smiled and leaned toward her and gave her a kiss on the cheek. The rest of dinner went by smoothly with them talking about various topics, including a few other high profile photo shoots that Veronica had worked on.

When they finally finished eating and did a quick clean up of the dishes, the dogs started getting a bit antsy, so Veronica suggested that her and Heidi take the dogs for a quick walk on the beach. Logan was about to suggest that he and Raul go along too, but he caught a quick look from Veronica and realized she was likely trying to get Heidi alone to talk about her friend.

"Hey do you want to play a round of pool while the women are out walking the dogs?" Logan asked, getting a look of approval from Veronica.

"Sure, that sounds fun. Are you sure they're okay out on their own though since it's dark now?" Raul asked, shooting a slightly concerned look in Heidi's direction.

"It's a completely private beach," Veronica explained with a reassuring smile. I have a can of pepper spray in my purse if it would make you feel better that I grab it."_ I bet she has much more than just pepper spray in that purse of hers._

Raul smiled and nodded and Veronica grabbed it out of her purse before she grabbed Archie's leash.

Logan led Raul into the room with the pool table and racked up the balls.

"Thanks for inviting us over," Raul said as he handed one of the cue sticks to Logan. "Sorry if I came across as an ass the other night at the party. I tend to do that sometimes."

Logan laughed and shook his head. "Don't sweat it. I've been accused of being an ass more times than I can even count." _And most of them by that gorgeous blond out walking on the beach with your wife._

Raul was actually pretty good at pool, so they were pretty evenly matched. "Who was your friend in the Hummer this afternoon? You seem to either make friends fast or know people here already."

"Yeah, actually I grew up in Southern California, so I do know some people here still," Logan replied, deciding a bit of truth would make things much easier for him as well. "So I knew Dick when I was here before."

Raul nodded as he took his next shot. "Does it feel good to be back?"

Logan shrugged and let out a sigh. "Yeah, I guess." His expression became a bit wistful. "I'm just thrilled to be here with Lindsey though. I'd follow her any place really."

Raul smiled and nodded again. "I hear that. I miss Brazil quite a bit, but there's no way I'd ever chose that over Heidi. She means the world to me and I'd do anything for her. Even if she asked me to give up racing, I'd put the car up for sale the next day and there was a time when I thought I'd never quit racing for anything." Logan nodded in agreement. _I feel exactly the same way about Veronica. _He momentarily worried that she may not be willing to do the same for him though. Perhaps it was Trevor's warning that he still hadn't been able to shake yet.

They heard one of the French doors open as they were finishing up their game. Raul ended up winning, and Logan challenged him to a rematch.

"What do you think baby?" He asked Heidi as her and Veronica walked into the room. "Did you want to head home, or do we have time for one more game?"

Logan noticed Heidi looked slightly upset, "It's fine if you need to take off," he quickly chimed in. He guessed that her talk with Veronica may have been a bit emotional for her.

"Yeah, I'm pretty tired actually. But thanks so much for having us over." Heidi said after giving Raul a knowing look. Raul nodded and put his cue stick back up in the holder. Logan could tell his expression had become concerned as he also realized Heidi seemed upset now. Raul walked over and put his arm around Heidi's shoulder and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead.

They thanked them both one more time before heading out to their car. As Logan closed the door he gave Veronica a questioning glance. "I take it you talked with her about her friend?"

Veronica nodded and looked a little troubled herself. He walked over and wrapped his arms around her, kissing the top of her head. "It was someone who works at the bank with her," Veronica said softly as she leaned into him. "Her name is Shelly. I don't think she's one we have on our list already though. I'm going to check into it, but I couldn't come across as being too nosy or push her to have her friend report it either. I was hoping it would be one of the women we already knew about. I hate that there could be even more cases that we don't even know about. At least knowing where she works and her first name should make it pretty easy to identify her."

Logan nodded. "From what you did learn, do you think it was the same guy?"

Veronica nodded, "Most likely. Something was slipped into her drink without her knowing. She woke up alone in a sleezy hotel room with no memory of how she'd gotten there or who she'd been with."

"If the guy pays for a hotel room, can't you get any information from the hotel staff?"

"He picks ones that are so cheap they don't have any sort of video surveillance and he only pays with cash. He usually has a stocking or baseball cap on and sometimes even dark glasses. So far we haven't been able to get any good descriptions of what he might look like now. The hotels he chooses tend to be ones that hookers and drug dealers use, so the staff doesn't always pay much attention to the clientele anyway, mostly for their own protection or just because they don't really care. He hasn't used the same hotel twice yet either."

Logan let out a frustrated sigh and shook his head. He knew Veronica would know exactly how it felt to wake up in a strange bed and have no idea what had happened the night before. He really couldn't imagine how she found the strength to work on cases that must hit so close to home for her. He gave her a troubled look. "Has there been any…" he paused a moment, not really sure exactly how to ask such a delicate question without it possibly upsetting her given what happened with Cassidy. "…diseases reported by the women? I would think it would be important to let her friend know if she hadn't been checked already."

Veronica cringed a bit and then shook her head. "We think he's using condoms at least."

Logan nodded. "I'm sure cases like this are pretty difficult for you. I'm always amazed at how strong of a woman you are Veronica." She smiled up at him with a tender look on her face. He kissed her on the head again, then took her hand and led her over to one of the couches, sitting down and pulling her into his lap. Archie walked over and sat on the floor near them.

"So how'd your afternoon with Trevor go? Any progress on the Aurelio lead?" he asked studying her carefully.

She gave him a little smirk. "Those two questions aren't as related as you're trying to make them out to be are they?"

He smiled and shrugged in response.

She took a deep breath. "Well Trevor really doesn't like you, not surprisingly. He got a hold of the file that the profiling team had put together on you before we went to Brazil." Logan raised his eyebrow in a questioning glance. He'd seen the file when Ratner had shared with him. "He obviously didn't know that I knew you from before and started pointing out how your past seemed a bit mysterious and questioning whether I could really trust you." She gave him a small uncertain smile. "I may have lost my temper with him a little and told him it wasn't any of his business, though I suppose, not in as nice a way as that."

Logan smiled at her comment for a moment before continuing. "Do you think he'll keep digging and figure out who I really am?" he asked curiously.

She shrugged in reply. "I don't know. Even if he does keep digging, I don't know that he'd be able to figure out who you really are. Mac did a pretty good job of setting everything up for you, and he's not as good of an investigator as I am." She gave him a little wink after that, and then she looked a bit more seriously at him. "If he does figure it out though, I don't know that it would be a problem. He couldn't really share that information with anyone outside of our team anyway."

Logan nodded in understanding. "How about Aurelio, any luck with that angle?"

She nodded before she spoke. "He definitely was in several of the same locations that the rapes happened at the time they were happening. I think you were right, that he probably does know our suspect. Whether he's still in contact currently is something we're still working on. We are setting up some covert surveillance of him though, so with any luck maybe he'll lead us to something."

Logan gave her a satisfied smile. "I really hope he does lead your team to that dirt bag."

She nodded in agreement, then quirked her eyebrow at him. "So it seemed like Bryn was looking at me a bit strangely when I walked over to their house with them. Any idea what that was about?"

"Right…" Logan said in reply. "She may have heard Connor call me Logan." Veronica's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "But you know, it's not like half of Hollywood doesn't go by fake names anyway, so it probably won't be that big of a deal to her." Her expression changed to appear to understand what he meant. "Although Connor may actually end up having to telling her who I really am and how he knew me." Veronica's expression became a bit more concerned. "I hope he won't go as far as to say anything about you though. She only heard him say my name and still just knows you as Lindsey, so hopefully that will stay that way."

"I really hope you're right." Veronica replied thoughtfully. "She seems trustworthy though. I wouldn't think it would be too big of an issue if she does find out, but I'm with you and hope that he doesn't share that much with her. He was really understanding when he figured out who I was at the magazine shoot. He definitely realized how important it was for me to keep my cover then, so I'm sure he'd remember that now too."

Logan quirked an eyebrow at her. "How much time did you actually spend with him at the photo shoot?" He couldn't help but remember how star struck she'd acted when he'd sent her to talk to him about the missing poker money.

She must have caught on to what he was thinking and gave him a lecherous smile. "Well you know it was a poolside photo shoot, and the actors were in teeny tiny Speedos. And I had to be sure he was positioned just right for the photos. Lots of hands on adjusting to get just the right angles so the flash didn't bounce off those abs the wrong way. And of course there was no awkwardness there at all."

He narrowed his eyes at her, obviously aware that she was just messing with him by her tone. She laughed at him and shook her head. All of a sudden her expression became a bit more predatory. "So didn't you say something earlier about punishing me for being _bad_?"

His smile became just as lascivious as he nodded and leaned in and captured her lips in a deep kiss. "And I think after that little bit of teasing, I have even more reason to teach you a lesson." He repositioned them so she was lying on her back on the couch and he was resting partly by her side and partly over her. He was starting to work his way down her neck sucking lightly on a spot right below her ear that he knew she always reacted to when he felt little feet pushing on his back. He kept kissing her and a moment later he felt a wet nose pressing up against the back of his neck. He laughed and looked over his shoulder to see Archie standing there looking at him.

"We have an audience, I see," Logan said. Archie pushed his face up between them and started licking Veronica on the cheek.

She giggled and squirmed a bit underneath him. "He's actually better at that than you are," she said jokingly.

Logan gave her an offended look before narrowing his eyes at her. "I think your punishment is going to be sleeping down her alone on the couch with Archie, while I enjoy the big plush king size bed all by myself."

Veronica laughed again and shook her head. "Ah… don't be jealous… maybe he can give you some tips."

He shook his head and pushed Archie down off the couch before leaning down toward her again. He pressed his mouth to hers and gave her a deep passionate kiss that she ended up moaning at the end of. "I don't think I need any tips," he said with a smug smile.

Archie wasn't happy with being ignored and started barking at them. Logan rested his head against Veronica's chest and let out a frustrated sigh. "I thought I saw a smug little smile on Larkin's face when I said we'd dog sit. Now I know what that was all about." He felt Veronica laugh underneath him. "I suppose you're enjoying this as a way to show me another reason we shouldn't get our own dog."

She picked his head back up and kissed him on the lips. Archie had put his feet on Logan's back again and was still barking at them. Veronica pushed Logan up off of her and headed over to the bag she brought back from Connor's house. She pulled out a chew treat and walked back over the couch. "Connor thought we might need this," she said with a wink as she tossed it to Archie and then grabbed Logan's hand and pulled him toward the stairs. Archie grabbed the treat and happily laid back down chewing on it.

"I take back every bad thing I've ever said about Larkin," Logan said relieved to see how obsessed Archie was with the treat that Veronica had tossed to him.

Veronica laughed as she led him into the master suite and closed the door behind them. "It won't last all night, so we'd better make the most of it," she said with a salacious grin on her face. She wasted no time in pulling off his shirt and pulling him over to the bed. She sat down on the bed and looked up at him. He smiled down at her, then knelt on the floor in front of her and started undoing the buttons on her blouse. He slid it down her shoulders as he placed kisses along her bare collar bone. He smiled at the very sexy red lace bra she had on under the conservative blouse. He undid the button on her slacks next and kissed her stomach as he pulled those off too, smiling at the matching thong. She looked at him with such an inviting expression as she scooted farther up the bed. He quickly shed his own pants and then crawled up toward her head, placing kisses all the way up her body as he went.

She moaned as he pressed open mouthed kisses all over her hot skin. "If this is punishment for being bad, I think I'll misbehave more often," she said in a sultry tone right before he started sucking on the spot on her neck that drove her crazy. The taste of her was so intoxicating to him. He couldn't help just getting lost in her when they were together like this. All he could think about was her and the sounds she made and the way her body trembled underneath him. The world around them could be ending and all he'd be able to focus on would be her. The way she ran her hands over his body and touched him took his breath away. When they were finally finished, they curled up together on the bed trying to catch their breath and regain their ability to move. They'd been laying there for a few minutes recovering when Archie started barking outside of their bedroom door.

Logan shook his head as Veronica laughed at him. "Still want a dog?" she said in a teasing tone as she climbed up off the bed and went to a dresser and grabbed a night gown. Logan grabbed a pair of boxers from his dresser and opened the door for Archie. He gave him a quick scratch behind the ears and then went back to climb into bed again. Veronica shook her head at him. "You should take him out one more time before we go to sleep." Logan gave her a look of disbelief. She gave him a little wave and climbed into the bed pulling the covers securely over her. "Hurry back," she said in a playful tone.

Logan let out a sigh, and grabbed a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt and then called for Archie, who happily followed him. By the time he made it back upstairs, Veronica has practically asleep already. He stripped down to his boxers again and crawled in next to her. She moved so she could wrap her arm around him and gave him a soft kiss on the cheek, but then she quickly fell asleep. Logan kissed her on the head and whispered '_Goodnight Veronica, I love you_,' softly before he fell asleep too.


	37. Chapter 37

_**A/N – This chapter is probably more like 2 short chapters put together because of the different content, but I thought on their own they would have been too short. Usually I try to do chapter splits at a better spot than this. So then the next chapter is sort of similar too I guess. I'm also being a bit sporadic on my posting now, so sorry it's not going to be very predictable. There's also a chance the next chapter of my other story won't make it up tomorrow, but hopefully by Saturday morning if not later tomorrow night. Definitely will not be up tomorrow morning for sure!**_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 37

Logan woke up and rolled over to wrap his arm around Veronica. He felt around the bed for a moment before he realized she wasn't there. He glanced at the clock and it said 2:48am. He let out a frustrated sigh and climbed out of bed to find her. He checked the other bedrooms as he headed to the stairs and didn't find her in any of them. _She'd better not try to tell me there's nothing going on with her this time._ He slowly headed down the stairs and saw her lying on one of the couches with Archie curled up on the floor near her feet. He quietly walked over and knelt down in front of her.

He was going to say he was only joking about her sleeping on the couch with Archie until he saw her expression. He could tell her eyes were slightly watery by the way they glistened in the small amount of illumination coming in from the outdoor lights. She looked at him with a sad apologetic expression. He gave her a tender smile and placed his hand on the side of her head and leaned in and kissed her forehead. "Can I join you?" he asked softly. She nodded and scooted over slightly so he could climb in behind her and wrap his arms around her.

"I'm sorry Logan," she said quietly after he had wrapped his arms around her and she had covered his hands with her own.

"I know," he said tenderly. "I wish you felt like you could explain what's going on with you, but I'm not going to push you if you're not ready. Please just know I'm here for you whenever you are ready to talk about it though."

She sighed and turned so she was facing him and pressed her head against his chest. "It's not that I _don't_ want to… I'm just not sure what to say… or even what's really going on with me…" She spoke with a sad broken voice.

"Does it have to do with what happened with Morgan?" he asked as he gently ran one of his hands up and down her back.

She nodded again. _At least she's finally willing to admit there was more about Morgan than she's talked about so far._ He hesitated for a moment before he asked the next question that had been plaguing him ever since the second time he'd woken up without her next to him. He really didn't want to push, but he also wanted to better understand what was going on so he could try to help her. "Did this happen with Piz and Trevor too?" He tried to ask it in a way that came across as more concerned than jealous. He hoped that's how it had sounded to her as well.

She took a deep breath. "Piz and I… it was too soon after everything happened… we didn't get that intimate when we got back together after my accident." She shifted a bit so she could look in his eyes. He gave her a small smile and nodded, then kissed her on the forehead again.

"And Trevor?" He asked again quietly when she didn't continue on her own.

She let out a sigh. "We didn't usually stay over at each other's places…" she replied. He wasn't sure if she was going to elaborate more or not. He also didn't know exactly what that meant, other than he didn't think it probably had happened with them.

When she didn't continue, he gave her a compassionate look. "Do you think it's because I remind you too much of him?" Her expression became troubled and she shrugged. He saw a few tears well up in her eyes.

"Shhh…" he said softly as he kissed her forehead again. "It's okay Veronica."

"But it's not. It's not fair to you at all," Veronica said through a soft sob. "I don't want to react this way. Not to you." She paused for a moment before she continued. "I hoped it would stop, that I wouldn't…" She shook her head gently and closed her eyes.

"Wouldn't what?" he asked as he ran his hand up to her head. "Please tell me. I want to help you, but I can't if you won't let me."

She took a deep breath and shifted her head back down to his chest and squeezed him a little tighter, but didn't say anything.

"What else did Morgan do to you, Veronica?" he asked softly, hoping she might at least tell him that.

They laid there quietly for several minutes. He thought maybe she'd fallen asleep but then he felt her take another deep breath and then she started talking in a very low voice. "He'd been gone on an assignment and came back like nothing was wrong. I'd gone to his house that night after he'd gotten back. I didn't pick up that anything was different. We had sex and I'd gotten up to get some water. That's when I knocked over his messenger bag accidentally and papers that I wasn't suppose to see fell out. And then I realized he was involved in the case and he knew without a doubt that I knew then too." She took a deep breath before she continued. "He got fairly rough and threw me on the bed. He accused me of being worse than a whore for sleeping with him for my case. It got even uglier before I was able to get to my phone and signal for help. At some point he'd grabbed his gun that I didn't even realize he had..." Her voice had gotten shakier the more she spoke.

"I'm sorry Veronica," he said when she stopped talking. He placed a kiss on the side of her forehead and hugged her a little tighter.

He felt her shake her head softly again. Her voice was even more devastated now. "After… now… when I wake up in the dark… after… I have an anxiety attack or something and I just… I have to get away… That night just comes back to me again…"

"You could try waking me up and talking to me instead," Logan offered in a gentle voice.

"I didn't want you to think it was your fault," she replied softly. "I just feel so broken sometimes."

"Then let me help fix you Veronica," Logan said before placing a soft kiss to her lips. She nodded and put a hand on his face. She gently ran it across his cheek, to his chin and then back toward his ear again.

"I never thought to ask this before," Logan said hesitantly, "but did Morgan have a beard too?" For some reason he hadn't pictured him with one because he hadn't had one when he left, but that was sort of a stupid thing to just assume.

She let out a little sigh. "Yeah." The word came out almost so quietly that he barely heard it.

"Oh," Logan replied. He hadn't expected that to be the answer. "Why don't I shave mine off then? Maybe that would help?" He figured even if it didn't hurt, it couldn't make things any worse.

She gave him a puzzled look before she responded. "You don't have to do that. I know you look less like you used to with it and you didn't want anyone to figure out who you really were."

He laughed softly, "Hey, I'd gladly go back to being Logan Echolls for the entire world to see if it meant it would make things even a little bit better for you."

She smiled and looked a little amazed too. "I don't want you to have to do that for me."

He smiled tenderly at her, "Veronica, you should know by now that there's nothing I wouldn't do for you." He stared intently into her eyes for a moment. "I really do still love you, you know?"

She nodded and her expression became softer as her eyes scanned over his face and then she pressed her lips to his as she closed her eyes. He wished so badly to hear those words in return. But he also wasn't going to push her to say it either. He realized all those years ago that asking if she loved him too wasn't the same as her actually declaring that she did and he wasn't going to make the same mistake again. He'd wait for her to say it this time and then he'd know she truly meant it.

After their lips separated, she opened her eyes again and looked at him lovingly_. I'll have to be satisfied with these moments instead of actually hearing her say it._ He brushed his hand over her hair. "Do you want to stay down here, or try going back to bed?"

"Let's go back upstairs," she said with a small smile. She climbed off the couch and held out her hand for him. He stood up and started to follow her. Archie glanced up at them and also stood and followed a few steps behind them.

When they were half way up the stairs Logan asked something else he was wondering. "I'm sure they made you go to therapy right after the incident right." She nodded and turned slightly to look at him over her shoulder as she continued to slowly climb the stairs. "Did this sort of thing come up at all?"

She shrugged and let out a small huff of air. "No, not specifically."

He gave her a compassionate smile, "Maybe you should see if you can talk to someone again. Maybe they'd have some professional advice that would help."

She gave him a small smile and nodded. "Because you know how much I loved all those talks with Ms. James right?"

He gave her an understanding look and nodded his head. "I just want you to feel better Veronica."

She nodded again and stopped to place a kiss on his lips. "Having you back in my life really does make me feel better Logan." It wasn't an 'I love you' yet, but he still felt moved by at least that small admission. He tipped his head slightly and gave her a shy smile. She smiled back, then turned and continued to lead him back up to the bedroom.

They climbed back into bed and snuggled closely together. He stroked her hair and gently rubbed her back until he felt her fall asleep again. He was relieved that at least whatever was going on with her seemed to be out in the open and that she was admitting there was something there, unlike the other times he'd brought it up. He still hoped that in time, those bad memories of Morgan would fade completely and be replaced by only good memories with him. They really hadn't been back in each other's lives very long. _Was it really only two weeks ago that she found me in the hotel bar?_ So much had happened in those two weeks that it was actually hard to believe that's all the time that had gone by. They'd had so many ups and downs that first week, and even a few since they'd been back to LA. It took them almost 6 years to find their way back to each other and he wasn't going to be foolish enough to think that everything was going to be fixed in two weeks. He dozed off thinking about how much he wanted things to work out this time and that no ghost from her past, or an ass from the present was going to stand in his way.

He thought he'd heard Veronica tell Bryn that she'd text her when they woke up to come over and get Archie, so he didn't understand why someone was ringing their doorbell while they were still snuggled up in bed. Who ever it was seemed to be extremely persistent though and he heard Veronica growl and get up to head downstairs before he was completely awake. He took a deep breath and hoisted himself up to follow her a few seconds after she'd left.

He'd made it to the top of the stairs just in time to hear Dick's booming voice come through the door. _Fuck, she's not going to be happy to wake up to that._

"Good morning Lindsey," Dick said through the open door.

Logan watched Veronica shake her head in annoyance before she spoke. "No one's here Dick, so you don't have to pretend."

"Sweet," he quickly replied. "Nice to see ya Ronnie. Is Logan up?" He chuckled to himself, "I mean awake?"

Logan was halfway down the stairs and saw her shake her head in annoyance again as she turned to look at him. "Your buddy's here to see you." She said as she stormed off toward the kitchen, not inviting Dick in, but not slamming the door in his face either.

Dick took a step inside when he saw Logan reach the bottom of the stairs. "Hey, I brought donuts!" he yelled out toward the direction that Veronica had gone.

Logan shook his head and gestured for him to continue to follow him into the kitchen. Veronica had already started a carafe of coffee in the Keurig and shot a scowl at Dick. "It's like 7am Dick. Shouldn't you be nursing a hangover or waking up in some floozy's bed instead of waking us up?"

"Nah, the floozy kicked me out at 6am before her boyfriend's flight got in, so I thought I'd come and hang with you guys." Dick gave her a lecherous smile as he walked closer to the kitchen counter.

Veronica shook her head as she rolled her eyes and went to get the creamer from the fridge. "Nice to see you're still the same old man whore, Dick."

Dick shrugged and set the bag of pastries on the counter. "If it ain't broke, why fix it?"

Logan ran his hand over his face and through his hair. _This was so not how I wanted to wake up today. _"You could have called first, Dick," Logan finally said.

Dick had a devious grin on his face, "Yeah, and you would have told me to not come over, so I didn't." _Fair point_.

Veronica finally went over and looked into the bag that Dick had dropped on the counter. She eyed him a bit suspiciously and then reached in and grabbed one of the Danishes. Her annoyance seemed to soften slightly as she took a bite of the pastry. She set the creamer down on the counter, and then went and grabbed three mugs out of the cupboard. Logan was actually a little surprised she got one out for Dick. She should know better than to be too welcoming if she didn't want him to repeat his little surprise visit. The Keurig finished up the carafe and Logan went over and grabbed it to take to the counter. Veronica held up her cup for him to fill first, and then went about adding cream and sugar to it.

"Actually I have some stuff I need to do in LA today anyway, so you should hang out with Dick while I'm gone." She shot an angry glare at Dick. "I just didn't expect to get such an early start at it though." She took another bite of the pastry and then grabbed both it and the coffee and started to head back upstairs. "I'm going to go get ready to go."

"Wait," Logan called out quickly as she turned to leave, but she just continued on her way back upstairs. He let out a frustrated grunt. "I'll be back in a few minutes," he said quickly to Dick and then followed Veronica.

She glanced over her shoulder as he caught up to her but she kept walking. "I don't want to spend the day with Dick. I want to spend it with you," he complained as they continued walking. They'd reached their bedroom and he closed the door after he walked in behind her. "Come on Veronica. It's Sunday, can't you spend the day just relaxing?"

She gave him an apologetic look. "Sorry, but my job isn't necessarily a Monday thru Friday, 9 to 5, type thing. Criminals don't take the weekends off, so when I'm working a big case I don't either." Logan understood, but it didn't make him any happier.

She easily read his expression. "When the case is over though, I can get a few days off as long as there isn't another top priority case, and then we could do something uninterrupted. I'll even let you pick the destination if you'd like."

He gave her a brief smile and nodded. _Definitely someplace warm and sunny where clothing would be optional._

"I really should catch my partner up on what I found yesterday and see what new developments there are on the Aurelio lead," she continued saying as she set her coffee cup down and then took another bite of her Danish.

"The partner I like right?" Logan said with a slightly annoyed tone. It wasn't so much that he would have been mad if she'd had to talk with Trevor, as much as he was just disappointed they couldn't spend the day together.

"Yes, Ratner." She said with a little smirk.

"I could come to LA with you," he offered.

She walked over and her expression softened a little. She wrapped her arms around his waist and looked up at him with a tender smile. "Why don't you spend the afternoon with Dick and then I'll be back later and the two of us can go out for a romantic dinner if you want."

He would rather have spent the day with her, but if that wasn't an option, at least spending the day with Dick would beat hanging out all alone. "Fine." His smile changed to be a bit more mischievous. "We can at least take a nice long shower together before you have to leave, right?"

She raised her eyebrows at him, "What about your buddy downstairs?"

"Well I certainly don't want to shower with him," he replied teasingly.

She shook her head and rolled her eyes slightly. He gave her a quick kiss on the lips. "I'll get rid of him." He gave her a warning look. "Don't you dare get into that shower until I'm back. Got it?"

She gave him a sultry smile and nodded.

Logan practically sprinted back downstairs to make Dick disappear. He found him sitting on the couch with Archie next to him getting his belly scratched.

"Dude, I didn't know you had a dog?" Dick said enthusiastically as he looked up at Logan.

Logan shook his head. "It's actually Bryn Delaney's dog. We were just dog sitting him last night for her while she was out with Larkin." Dick's eyebrow cocked up in the way that always signified he was thinking about how hot some chick was. Logan gave him a quick glare and Dick's expression changed to be completely innocent.

"Anyway…" Logan said getting back to the task at hand of getting rid of Dick, so he could take a shower with Veronica. "I'm going to hang out with Veronica for a little while longer until she heads to LA and then I promise I'll head over to your house, okay?"

"Promise?" Dick said a little skeptically. Logan nodded and gestured toward the door with his hand.

"Thanks for the pastries," he said as Dick stood up and started for the door. "I'll see you in an hour or two."

Dick gave him a knowing smile, "Is she already naked up there waiting for you?"

Logan shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Bye Dick."

Dick just laughed as he walked out the door Logan had opened for him. Logan quickly closed it, and made sure to lock it, before he sprinted back up the stairs to join Veronica.

He hesitated when he got to the bedroom. Veronica was sitting on the bed and had just finished her Danish and was still drinking her coffee. He gave her a slightly concerned look. "If you'd rather not shower together… you know after last night…"

She tilted her head and gave him a seductive little smile. "Honestly it's just been a middle of the night thing."

He let out a relieved breath. "Well I guess that's good, especially since showering with you is so… enjoyable." He gave her a little wink. "Hey, give me a few minutes, okay?" he gestured to the bathroom with his head. She gave him a slightly confused look, but nodded anyway.

He closed the door, and then pulled out the electric beard trimmer he would use to keep his beard from getting too long. He quickly shaved off as much hair as he could with it, but realized he'd have to get a better razor later to get it nice and smooth. He couldn't remember the last time he'd actually seen himself without a beard. It felt a bit odd with it being gone, but if it made her feel even the slightest bit better he was more than happy to do it.

"Okay, you can come in now," he yelled back out to the bedroom.

"Do I even want to know what that…" she stopped in mid-sentence when she had opened the door and saw him. "Okay, I guess what you were doing is pretty obvious." She gave him a shy smile, "You really didn't have to do that for me though."

He made his way closer to where she was standing and gave her a questioning glance. "Do you like it better though?"

She squished her face up in a happy expression and nodded.

"Good," he said as he leaned in to kiss her. She put her hands on both sides of his face and ran her fingers over the coarse little bit of stubble that was left. "I'll get a better razor later so I can get it smoother." He waggled his eyebrows at her, "Shower time now?"

She smirked at him and nodded. He wasn't sure what he found so alluring about showering with her now. They'd only done it a few times during college since they weren't living together and always seemed to be running off with other things to do. But having her naked body wrapped around him with the steam and hot water, was something he doubted he'd ever be able to get enough of. And it was so much better now than back then for some reason too. Maybe it was the way she seemed more confident in herself or just him missing her for all those years, but whatever had caused it, he was thankful for it. He was also thankful that this house had one of the most amazing showers he'd ever used and lots of hot water. _Lots and lots of hot water._


	38. Chapter 38

_**A/N – Remember to be happy for a new chapter and don't hate me for how this one ends! **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 38

After their very lengthy shower, Veronica started to get ready to go back to LA and texted Bryn that she'd drop Archie off on her way. Logan sulked around a bit still trying to convince her to just stay, but to no avail. The sulking mood quickly turned playful though as he became an absolute pest while she was trying to get ready. He was having fun unbuttoning whatever it was she was trying to put on, and had removed her bra twice before she finally did get her blouse over the top of it. She seemed to be humoring him at least and didn't get too irritated by his antics. She finally suggested that he'd better take Archie outside for a few minutes before he had to clean up an accident in the house, which allowed her to finally get fully clothed while he was gone. She met him downstairs as the two of them were coming back in and he gave her a deep passionate kiss before she headed out to the garage to leave with Archie.

Logan grabbed his keys and headed over to Dick's shortly after she left. Dick glanced at his watch and gave Logan an impressed look when he opened the door for him, to which Logan just shook his head.

"Things must be going better than the last time you were over," Dick commented as Logan walked past him into the house.

"Yeah, they are," Logan replied as he nodded his head. He didn't want to elaborate more than that though.

Dick stopped for a moment and gave him a confused expression. "Dude, why do you look different than you did just two hours ago."

Logan laughed and shook his head. "I shaved. So what did you want to do today?"

"Golfing?" Dick asked with a hopeful expression. Dick used to love golfing with his dad before everything fell apart and they would sometimes drag Logan out with them. While Logan preferred the video game version better, he'd agreed to go with Dick a few times before he left for Brazil whenever Dick seemed to be in a depressed mood and had mentioned it.

"Sure, why not," Logan said, trying to sound enthusiastic, though not sure it came out that way.

"Sweet," Dick replied. "I'll grab a pair of my extra shoes for you to wear, and we'll take two sets of clubs along." Dick gestured for him to follow him down the hall and he opened one of the guest bedrooms that had been converted to his sports gear storage.

"Holy crap," Logan said as he walked into the room. "I thought Dick's Sporting Goods was supposed to be just a store, not a room in your house."

Dick laughed, but Logan seriously wondered if there was any sport not covered by all the gear Dick had in that room. He'd expected it to be golf stuff and surf stuff, but there were all sorts of balls and rackets, all meticulously organized too. He even spotted some archery and fencing stuff. Dick opened a glass front cabinet that had various types of shoes and coordinating shirts. Dick took a quick look at the pants Logan was wearing and then grabbed a golf shirt and pair of golf shoes and shoved them into his hands.

"Here, these should work." Dick said as he went back to grabbing something for himself to wear.

Logan shook his head a bit in disbelief but took the items from him. Dick pulled off the shirt he was wearing and changed into the golf shirt he'd selected and then grabbed the shoes that matched that specific shirt and turned looking impatiently at Logan. "Dude, change shirts already. What are you shy?" Logan laughed and did the same.

Dick went over and looked at the four different golf sets, and grabbed one, lunging it toward Logan, before grabbing another one for himself. Logan followed him with the bag and shoes out toward the garage, where they loaded it all into his Hummer.

"I'll call and get us a tee time at Sherwood. It's still early enough that we shouldn't have a problem, especially since I know people there." Dick explained as he grabbed his phone and started scrolling through his contact lists. Several minutes later they were on their way up to the Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.

_At least the weather's nice._ Logan cursed as another shot went completely off from where he intended. Dick was actually playing even better than Logan remembered he could play. He smirked at Logan as he walked up and slapped him on the shoulder. "Next time I'll let you pick what we do." Logan chuckled and nodded.

"You're at least having a great game," Logan commented as they walked to where their shots had landed. "You must play a lot these days."

Dick shrugged, "I'm not doing too bad, not great though either." Logan looked a bit surprised, which Dick actually noticed and continued to explain. "I had joined the golf team my Sophomore year at Hearst and got much better when I was practicing more frequently. I stayed on the team until I graduated."

"Wow, that's great." Logan replied. "Sorry I wasn't around to see you play then," Logan added with a bit of melancholy in his tone.

"Hey, it's fine." Dick said with a nod. "I totally get why you didn't want to come back. Way too much shit had happened and things were so fucked up with you and Ronnie."

Logan nodded and took a deep breath. "Yeah, though in hindsight I really wish I'd come back."

"Well you're here now," Dick said with a smile.

They decided to eat at the club house when they finished playing since they were famished. They were about to be seated when a somewhat familiar male voice called out to Dick.

"Hey Casablancas. Haven't bumped into you here in a few months." Logan turned his head to see Casey Gant coming up behind them toward the restaurant as well.

"Hey Case," Dick said, and then shot a worried look at Logan.

Casey did a double take staring at Logan, then at Dick and back at Logan again.

"Logan?" Casey said in disbelief. "Holy shit! I thought you'd evaporated off the face of the earth or something."

"Hey Casey," Logan said a bit tentatively.

Casey stuck out his hand to shake Logan's. "Hey, it's great to see you. I had no idea you were back in California."

A brunette walked up and wrapped her arm around Casey's middle, "Sorry honey, I just hadn't seen Emma in so long and wanted to catch up." She let out an annoyed sigh when her eyes landed on Dick. "Please tell me we aren't having a Neptune High reunion lunch too." Then her eyes traveled to Logan and got extra wide. "Oh my god! Logan?"

Logan cringed slightly. _This is getting worse by the minute._ He was so thankful that Veronica wasn't here with him.

Casey gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "You remember Ashley Banks right?" Logan nodded and gave her a small smile.

"Well it's Ashley Gant now," she replied giving Casey an adoring look.

"Did you two want to eat lunch with us?" Casey asked looking between Logan and Dick.

"We'd hate to intrude on your lunch." Logan quickly replied, really not wanting to spend more time with them than they already had.

"Don't be silly," Ashley replied as one of the waitresses walked over to seat them and Ashley said they'd take a table for 4.

Logan spent part of the time telling them what he'd been doing during the last 6 years and how he'd stopped going by Logan to stay under the radar. They both seemed to understand that and said they wouldn't mention seeing him to anyone. He really hoped he could trust them not to say anything, but knowing both of them, he was a bit skeptical. At least he was glad that Dick hadn't brought up Veronica at all, which he thought was a huge miracle. When they'd asked what he was doing in LA he said he'd come back for a couple weeks to visit Dick, giving him a little kick under the table to dissuade him from contradicting him.

"Hey, I've got a cute single friend who would be perfect for you," Ashley suggested part way through their meal.

"I'm actually in a serious relationship with a photographer name Lindsey," Logan quickly answered as Dick gave him a smirk. He shot Dick a warning look and was thankful that seemed to be enough to keep him from elaborating on who Lindsey actually was. Logan knew Ashley and Veronica did not get along during high school, not that Veronica really got along with any 09er girls at Neptune High after what he did to her, well other than Meg. He cringed as the next suggestion Ashley made was for him to bring Lindsey to dinner with them sometime soon.

"Yeah, that sounds like a great idea. I'd love to meet the woman who's tamed the infamous Logan Echolls." Casey followed up after Ashley's suggestion with a bit of a chuckle.

Logan saw a look forming on Dick's face and had to kick him under the table again. "She's pretty busy on assignment right now, and I'm not sure how long we'll be in LA, but I'll mention it to her." _And I'm sure her reply will be 'when hell freezes over'._

"Have you met this mysterious woman?" Ashley asked turning to Dick with a curious look on her face.

Dick shot a quick glance at Logan, apparently not wanting to get kicked under the table again. "Of course he has," Logan answered for him.

"Yeah, great woman." Dick said. Logan thought it seemed like he'd shifted in his seat, perhaps getting his leg farther away from him. Logan was thankful they were almost done with their lunch and that they'd be able to escape the interrogation soon.

When Logan finally did make it home, he realized he was actually slightly exhausted. The golfing and trying to evade questions from Casey and Ashley were more work than he'd anticipated. He flopped down on the couch and decided to take a quick nap before he got ready for dinner with Veronica. He really only planned on napping for an hour at the most. He was surprised when he felt Veronica snuggle up next to him on the couch and he opened his eyes to realize it was dark outside already.

"Exhausting day with Dick?" She asked with a little smirk. "I hope you didn't go paragliding again."

He smiled back and shook his head. "We went golfing actually, and it was more exhausting than I thought." He debated whether to mention running into Casey and Ashley or just leaving that one alone.

"Like real golfing? Not video game golfing?" Veronica asked with a surprised look on her face.

"Yep, the real deal." He wrapped his arms around her and kissed her on the lips. He decided he'd tell her about his lunch company too. If nothing else, she'd probably never guess who Casey had married. "Had lunch with a couple other Neptune High Grads too at the Country Club we went golfing at."

Veronica raised her eyebrow curiously. "Really, do tell. Who did you run into?"

"Casey Gant, and Mrs. Casey Gant." He replied with a smirk.

Her face changed to be a surprised expression for a moment. "How dare he not invite me to the nuptials! We were like this," she crossed her fingers, "in high school." Logan laughed at her faux hurt expression. "You said a couple of Grads. Is the lucky Mrs. Gant also a Neptune High survivor?"

Logan nodded and raised his eyes in a 'you'll never guess who' expression. She made a thoughtful face. "Casey's grade or a different one?"

"Our grade," Logan answered.

"09er?" She asked next. Logan gave her an 'of course' look. "Blonde or brunette or other?" Logan laughed and then answered that she was brunette. "Carrie Bishop?" Logan shook his head. "Kate Rakes?" Logan shook his head again. Veronica cringed, "Not Angie Dahl?" Logan shook his head again and she looked a bit relieved. "He didn't end up back with Darcy did he?" Logan shook his head again. "Hmm… do you know if I had any classes with her?" Logan nodded slowly before he said journalism junior year. Veronica's eyes popped open wide. "Ashley?"

Logan nodded and bopped her on the nose. "Bingo!"

Veronica did a fake all over body shiver. "Wow, so glad I didn't go with you guys today." She gave him a slightly worried look. "Dick didn't bring my name up did he?"

Logan smiled and shook his head. "Nope. He was very well behaved." He chuckled softly. "And I may have kicked him in the shin under the table a couple of times."

She laughed and gave him a quick kiss. "That's my boy."

Logan yawned and stretched. "I really didn't intend to sleep this late and was planning to be all ready to go to dinner when you got here. I should probably take a shower at least before we change." He waggled his eyebrows at her.

"I suppose I could use a shower too," she said in a playful tone before she leaned in and gave him a quick kiss. "I could also use something to drink." She hopped off the couch and headed to the kitchen.

Logan sat up and stretched again, and then started to follow her. She'd made it to the refrigerator already and was standing with the door open looking over her beverage choices. Logan was about to ask for some iced tea when his cell phone started to ring in his pocket. He pulled it out and was extremely shocked to see Gabriela's name on the screen. He glanced quickly at Veronica who was closing the refrigerator door as he took a seat on one of the stools by the counter. She gave him a curious look. Apparently his expression must have alerted her something was wrong.

"Gabriela?" He asked hesitantly as he answered the call. He heard a sob and immediately his chest tightened and he felt like he couldn't breath. He looked down at the counter focusing on the sound coming through the phone and nothing else.

"Yeah…" she replied with another sob coming across the line. All he could think of was that something had happened to Adelina.

He wasn't sure what to say, but finally spoke, barely above a whisper. "What's wrong?"

"It's… it's Marcos…" she sobbed again. The tightness in his chest didn't subside at all and if possible, he thought it was even a little worse. "He was… there was an accident…" she sobbed again. "He's gone…" the sobs broke into full on crying.

_Oh god_. He couldn't speak and just heard her crying through the phone. He finally took a deep breath and struggled to say something. He knew trying to talk to Gabriela wasn't going to be a good idea with how badly she was crying. "I'm so sorry sweetheart… Is Alex there?" He thought she said yes, and then a moment later the crying got fainter before Alex's voice came through the phone.

"Billy?" Alex asked solemnly.

"Yeah… What happened?" Logan asked in a broken voice.

Alex took a deep breath before he responded. "He was coming back from Sau Paulo and was hit by a drunk driver."

Logan swallowed trying to force back the immense feeling of loss coursing through him.

"She wanted you to know, so you could come back if you wanted to, for you know…" Alex trailed off, but Logan knew what he was trying to say.

"Of course, I'll fly back as soon as I can. I'm so sorry Alex." He took another deep breath before he spoke again. "If there's anything I can do, anything at all, please let me know."

"Thanks Billy," Alex said quietly. "We'll see you soon."

"Yeah, hey… please take care of her."

"Of course."

"I know… it's just… I know how much he meant to her."

"I know," Alex replied in an understanding way. "He meant a lot to all of us."

They said goodbye and Logan ended the call. He was still looking down at the counter and hadn't looked up at Veronica yet. He lifted his head and saw that she'd moved over and was standing across the counter from him. She had a worried look on her face.

"What happened?" She asked softly as she studied his face with concern.

He took a deep breath and shook his head. He set the phone on the counter and moved his hands up to rest his head against them. "Marcos was killed by a drunk driver," Logan said, disbelief evident in his tone.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Logan." She moved around the counter and wrapped her arm over his shoulder and kissed his cheek. She ran her hand slowly up and down his back as he leaned slightly into her for a moment.

He closed his eyes and tried to get control over his emotions. Marcos had been like a brother to him. He had been more like family to him during the past six years than Trina had been throughout his entire life. He couldn't really believe he was gone.

"You're going back?" Veronica asked quietly.

Logan nodded and opened his eyes to look at her. "Will you please come with me?" he pleaded softly, his voice breaking as he tried to keep from completely falling apart.

Her expression became extremely troubled. "Logan… I can't… I can't leave in the middle of the investigation."

Trevor's words came crashing back at him. _Of course she won't choose me over her case._ Logan closed his eyes again and took a deep breath, trying not to let her see how completely devastated he was by her answer.

"I need to go and figure out flight arrangements," he responded in as controlled a tone as he could manage as he stood up from the counter and walked toward the stairs. He just needed to get away from her because he knew if he stayed he would likely say something he'd end up regretting. She may have realized that too since she didn't follow him or try to stop him either.

He sat on the edge of the bed and looked at his phone to check flight times. There was an overnight flight that left in about four hours, or he could wait and take one in the morning. He decided he'd take the earlier one since he'd rather just sleep as much of the twelve hours as he could and then he would get there sooner to help with everything. Plus it gave him less time to get even more upset with Veronica for choosing to stay rather than going with him. He booked the flight and went to the closet to grab a duffle bag that he could put some things in that he wanted to take along. Of course he still had a full house of things in Brazil, so he didn't need to take that much with him. He was retrieving a few things from the bathroom when Veronica finally came up to the room.

"I'm really sorry I can't go," she said looking at him with a pleading expression. "You understand why I can't though, don't you?"

Logan shook his head. "Not really," he replied softly. He took a deep breath, "But I don't have time to stay and debate it with you. My flight leaves in less than 4 hours and I need to get to LAX."

Her eyes opened wide in disbelief and she took an unsteady breath. "You're leaving just like that?"

"Yes," he was a bit confused by her reaction. "I told Alex I'd come back and that's what I'm doing. One of my closest friends just died, Veronica, and there's nothing I can do to help here, so I'm going back."

"I can't believe you're just leaving… so soon," she stammered out.

"Veronica, I wanted you to come with me but you won't. I don't know what you expect me to say."

"You know I can't just walk away from the case. This might be my last chance to be a field agent Logan. I can't just give that up." Her voice still had a pleading tone to it. Almost like she hoped that by pleading with him it would make the choice hurt him less. But it didn't.

Logan shook his head and took a deep breath before he replied. _I see she has her priorities straight._ "Yeah, it's very clear what you don't want to give up Veronica." He was starting to lose control of his temper now, even though he really didn't want to. But her revelation combined with the news about Marcos was just too much for him to deal with all at once.

He threw the rest of his stuff in the duffle bag and zipped it up. He was looking down at the duffle bag on the bed and not up at her. He heard her take a deep breath again before she spoke. "When do you think you'll be back? You are planning to come back right?" He thought there was a bit of desperation in her tone, but he wasn't sure if that's what he had heard or not. He wasn't really sure if it was desperation over him leaving, or concern about what it might mean to her investigation if he didn't come back. It reminded him of when she pleaded with him in Brazil to come here to help her in the first place and that was before anything had happened between them.

"I don't know," he answered with a frustrated sigh.

Her voice definitely had a trace of panic in it as she responded. "You don't know _when_ or _if_?" Even though she sounded concerned, he still wasn't sure if her concern was because of the case or him.

He let out another deep breath and turned to look at her. He could tell she was as upset as he was and he knew he probably wasn't being fair, but at that point in time he didn't really care. All he could feel was devastation that she'd choose her job over him and that he'd just lost someone who'd been like a brother to him. The words tumbled out of his mouth before he could even think about how bad they really were. "Maybe you'll get your job done while I'm gone and you won't need me to come back."

He saw the tears welling up in her eyes and the wave of hurt that washed across her expression. _I guess she knows how I feel now_. "Logan, I'm _sorry_ that I can't go with you. Please try to understand. _Please_."

He'd already lost the ability to filter what he was saying and now things were just rolling out of his mouth without much thought. "Veronica, it's not '_can't_' it's '_won't_'. You _could_ come back with me if you _wanted_ to. You know it wouldn't be all that unbelievable for someone to go along with their fiancé when a tragic event happens."

"Logan…" she shook her head as the tears started rolling down her cheeks. "Why can't you try to see it the way I do?"

He took a deep breath and exhaled, but unfortunately it didn't do anything to help the pain he was feeling and his old habit of lashing out when he was hurting reared its ugly head. "You know what? You're probably right and it is better that you're not coming with me. I'm sure as hell that Gabriela wouldn't actually want you there anyway."

The expression on her face was even more devastated than before. It definitely matched the amount of pain he was feeling inside. _Fuck, what am I doing? I didn't really want to hurt her that badly. Fuck. I knew I needed to get out of here, but I just wasn't fast enough._

He closed his eyes and a few tears finally fell down his face. Hurting her didn't make him feel any better. _God, why do I always have to fuck up everything with her_? He stood there with his eyes closed and a few more tears rolling down his cheeks feeling so bad about what he'd just said on top of losing Marcos. He expected her to storm out of the room and slam the door on her way out. He let out a shaky breath as he felt her hand gently run over his cheek wiping his tears away.

He opened his eyes and looked at her. The pain he felt clearly reflected back in the face he saw staring up at him. "I'm sorry Veronica," he said, though he doubted that was going to be enough to fix everything. _Why do I always have to lash out at her when I'm hurting?_

She nodded back before she spoke. "I am too," she said as she wrapped her arms around him and hugged his waist. He wrapped his arms around her hesitantly for a moment and kissed the top of her head.

"I need to go," he said and took a step away from her as he grabbed his bag and headed for the door. He was wiping frantically at his face to try to make the tears stop falling. He wasn't sure if she was sorry that she couldn't chose him over her job, or that things didn't seem to work out this time either, and he didn't want to stay to find out which one it was. He grabbed his keys on his way to the garage. He kept listening for her footsteps behind him, but only heard silence as he opened the door to the garage and let it close heavily behind him.


	39. Chapter 39

_**A/N – Sorry for all the angst at the end of the last chapter. It is LoVe though and no one writes songs about the ones that come easy! I'm not sure if this chapter will make you all feel 100% better, but there is an important revelation in it at least. I also wanted to warn you that I have an insanely busy week this week and I don't know when I'll be able to work on updates, so there might be a longer break than usual in the stories. I apologize in advance if that happens, and will try to be back as soon as I can. I know this isn't really the place anyone wants to have a long break! **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think.**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 39

Logan tried to sleep on the flight back, but the anxiety from everything going on made sleep elusive. He'd called Weevil when he got to LAX and let him know what had happened and that he was going back to Brazil. Weevil said he'd get a hold of the track manager in Fontana and get everything sorted out there, including having him pulled from the race, before he headed back down as well. Logan wasn't sure how long he'd stay in Brazil, but even by the slim chance that he made it back before Saturday, he didn't have enough hours practicing on that track to feel comfortable enough racing there yet. He also wasn't sure, with how he left things with Veronica, when or if he'd actually come back up. He was trying to tell himself that he should be more understanding of how much her career means to her, that he'd only been back in her life for two weeks, but he wasn't able to get past his hurt feelings to do that yet. He'd sort of expected a message from her when the flight landed and he could use his phone again, but there wasn't anything, which only added to the frustration he was feeling.

Between a flight delay, the time difference, and waiting for the driver that Weevil contacted to take Logan back to his house, he didn't arrive home until almost 2 in the afternoon. His house was closer to Sau Paulo than Alex and Gabriela's, so he went there first and took a much needed shower before he drove the rest of the way to their house. Once he arrived he sat in the car for at least 5 minutes before he worked up the courage to go up to the door. He hadn't been there since the day he came to confront Gabriela about the baby. He took a deep breath and rang the door bell. It took a minute or two, but finally a devastated and exhausted looking Alex answered the door. Adelina was in his arms, and she looked like she wasn't faring any better. She had that flushed look that babies get when they have been screaming and her mouth was turned down in an angry little pout.

Alex opened the door wider and gave him a grim smile. "Hey, it's good to see you. I wasn't expecting you to make it back so quickly, but I'm so happy you're here." Logan nodded as he walked in. He could hear a buzzer going off in the kitchen and saw Alex look desperately between the kitchen, the baby and back at Logan. "Could you… just for a moment… hold her? Please?" He gave Logan a pleading look as he spoke. "I was trying to heat up some casserole and make her a bottle, and it's not as easy as Gabriela always makes it look."

Logan let out a sigh and nodded, as he reached out his arms for the baby. She gave him an uncertain look, but didn't cry. She reached out and swatted at his chin with her little hand. "You're going to have a mean right hook there, aren't you Princess?" Logan said softly to her as Alex smiled a little and quickly turned back toward the kitchen. "Where's Gab?" Logan asked as he followed him into the other room.

Alex let out a distressed sigh and shook his head. "She's out on the balcony. Been there pretty much all day." He glanced toward the door that led outside for a moment then back at Logan. "I was hoping if I heated up the casserole that the neighbor brought over that maybe I could finally get her to eat something." He looked back at Logan again for a moment with a concerned expression before he turned toward the oven.

Adelina was still smacking Logan in the chin with her little hand while Alex dug around for a bottle to heat up after pulling the casserole from the oven. Logan looked affectionately down at Adelina. _If she is my kid, I see she inherited my boxing skills._ He unintentionally let out a sad sigh as he carefully watched her. He hadn't realized that Alex had the bottle ready and was standing there staring at them until his trance was broken by Alex speaking. Logan wasn't sure what emotion was in Alex's tone when he spoke, but he was definitely caught off guard by what he said.

"She's not yours," he said softly. It was almost apologetic, like he could tell from watching Logan that he'd hoped she was. But it could also have been regret at knowing that Logan thought there was a possibility that she could be his.

"What?" Logan asked, completely taken by surprise by what Alex had just said.

Alex looked down at the baby, then back up to Logan again. "I um…" he let out a deep breath. "When I saw you in the elevator… I started wondering…" Alex reached out for Adelina, who had seen the bottle when she heard his voice and started squirming to get to him. "I asked Gabriela if there was a chance she could be yours and she told me what happened."

"I'm so sorry Alex," Logan said sincerely. He really had felt bad after it happened because he did want Gabriela to be happy and he knew Alex loved her a tremendous amount. He realized now just how much Alex did love her if it didn't cause any unfixable problems for them and he was willing to talk to Logan about it.

Alex nodded and looked down at Adelina for a few moments before looking back up at Logan. "I thought we both had a right to know… I know why she didn't want to say anything… but I still thought we should know… I mean, I still would have loved her the same regardless you know… but I guess… I didn't think it was really fair to any of us not to know, even Adie."

Logan nodded and looked down at the baby and gave Alex a warm smile. "You're really lucky. She's beautiful. They both are. And they both love you so much." Alex had a far away look in his eye for a moment, then nodded at Logan and smiled back.

The smile quickly faded though, and a troubled expression crossed his face again. "Can you try to convince her to come in and eat some food?" Alex asked as he took a seat at one of the kitchen chairs to better support Adelina while she was drinking her bottle. He let out a deep sigh and his shoulders slumped a bit more. "At least my parents should be here tomorrow, and I'm hoping that will help."

Logan nodded in understanding. Gabriela's parents were both dead, so now after losing Marcos, Alex and Adelina were all she had left of what could be considered immediate family. Her dad had died in a boating accident when she was 17 and then her mom had died about a year before Logan had met her from cancer. She had cousins that lived in San Diego, but no other close relatives were left in Brazil. "I'll do my best," Logan said softly as he headed toward the balcony door.

Their house was a little ways back from the ocean, but from the balcony you could see the water off in the distance. Gabriela was sitting on a lounge chair with her legs pulled up to her chest and her arms wrapped around them. He could tell she'd been crying a lot by how puffy and red her eyes and face were. She didn't turn when the door opened. He went over and sat down in front of her, right in between her and the ocean.

She took a deep breath and her bottom lip started to tremble. He gave her a sympathetic look as her eyes filled up with tears and she sat up and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I'm so sorry Gab," he said softly as he gently rubbed her back and kissed her on the forehead. He couldn't help the tears that started falling down his cheeks as well. He wasn't sure how long they sat there like that. He knew at some point though her sobbing had stopped and she just sat their quietly with her head buried against his shoulder. He finally took a deep breath before he spoke. "Sweetheart, you need to eat something okay? Alex is worried about you and so am I. I know this is so hard for you to go through again, but Adelina needs you to take care of yourself. Okay?" He felt her take a deep breath and then nod her head against him.

She finally sat up and searched his face for a moment. She reached up and placed her hand on his cheek and rubbed at the short stubble that was just starting to grow back with her thumb. She gave him a questioning look. He shook his head slightly but didn't say anything about it.

"Will you come in and eat now? Alex heated up a casserole for you," Logan said a little pleadingly.

She shook her head and her eyes teared up a little again. "Can you just bring something out for me? I don't… I can't…" Logan nodded and realized she didn't want Adelina to see her so upset.

He stood up and headed back in the door. Wiping at his own face to make sure any of his tears that had fallen were wiped away as well. Alex was standing at the door holding Adelina and watching them. He opened the door for Logan and took a step back. "She said she'd eat if you take something out for her." Logan said looking a bit guiltily at him. _This can't be easy on Alex either._ "I don't think she wants to come in and upset the baby." Alex nodded and walked over to the stove and put some of the casserole in a bowl and then held it out toward Logan. Logan shook his head. "I'll watch the baby if you want to go out and sit with her for awhile."

Alex nodded again and let Logan take Adelina from him. "Come on Princess," Logan said as he walked back into the living room where he'd noticed some toys laying on the table. When he was first living with Gabriela, their neighbor had just had a baby and Logan ended up baby sitting sometimes for her when no one else was around. At first he'd been terrified of the baby, but after spending time with Gabriela and the baby, he gradually became more comfortable with her, to the point of it not being a big deal to volunteer to watch her occasionally. He picked up a small toy that made a jingle sound and let her shake and then chew on it. After they'd been sitting there for a little while, he could tell she was getting sleepy, and wondered if he should try to keep her awake or let her go to sleep. He'd been scolded too many times from letting the neighbor's baby go to sleep at the wrong time, keeping her mom up all night instead of sleeping when she was supposed to, so he didn't want to just let the baby doze off. It was close to 5pm now and he really didn't think that sounded like a great time for her to be going to sleep. He finally stood up and walked back through the kitchen to see how the other two were doing on the balcony. Alex was sitting next to her with his arm wrapped around her and the empty bowl sitting on the nearby table. Logan was glad that she'd at least eaten something.

He finally opened the door after Adelina let out a big yawn and started to close her eyes. "Umm… sorry," he said quietly, hating to interrupt them, but really not sure what their routine was. They both turned to look at him. "She's getting sleepy and I didn't know…" he looked at Gabriela hoping she'd understand and she gave him a small smile.

"I'll take her for a little while," Gabriela said holding her arms out for the baby. Adelina started to squirm as soon as she heard her voice. Alex stood up to take the empty dish back inside as Gabriela took the baby.

"Do you want another bowl? Or something to drink?" Alex asked before walking back inside.

"I'll take a glass of water." Gabriela said softly.

Alex walked closer and leaned down to kiss her on the head, before walking in to get her a glass of water.

Logan followed him back in to the kitchen, making sure the door to the balcony was closed behind them. "Is there something I can do to help with anything? Any type of arrangements, or taking care of any track dues and his car."

Alex had taken a glass out of a cupboard and was filling it with water from a pitcher in the refrigerator. "I honestly haven't gotten that far. But I appreciate the offer and will let you know. But I don't know if Gab will want to have you paying for things."

Logan let out a small laugh. Gabriela obviously never told Alex who he really was or how much money he actually had. "It's really not a problem." Logan said nodding. "I have some family inheritance that I don't usually tell people about, and I'd be honored if you let me help with things. He was…" he hesitated for a moment and swallowed the lump in his throat. "He was like a brother to me, and I'd like to do whatever I can to help." Alex nodded in understanding. Logan suddenly was worried about what Alex was going to do without Marcos to work for. "How about you? Have you thought about what you're going to do now? I could probably afford two mechanics if you could put up with Navarro."

Alex shook his head. "I know I don't want to go back to being a race car mechanic. I'd rather do something that doesn't take me out of town all of the time so I can stay here with Gab and Adie." Logan nodded in understanding. "I was thinking about trying to get on at a mechanic shop in Bertioga instead."

Logan gave him an inquisitive look. "Have you thought about opening your own shop instead?" He knew there were only a couple decent shops in Bertioga and had a feeling that Alex could successfully run his own if he wanted to.

Alex smiled at him, "That would take a pretty big investment, which I'm afraid I don't have."

Logan laughed softly, "Alex, I'd love to help you do it and trust me, I really can afford to help you get started."

Alex looked at him with a confused expression on his face, "But why? Why would you want to do that?"

"I'd be doing it for Gabriela and Adelina too. I know my relationship with Gab has been complicated, but I really do care what happens to her, and with Marcos gone, well I feel like he'd want me to help all of you too."

Alex sighed and nodded. Logan hoped he didn't resent him for caring enough to try to help them. Alex had always been the most level headed, understanding guy he'd ever met. If it had been anyone else who had pursued Gabriela, he probably would have had a harder time with it, but he knew Alex was a really good guy who would always treat her the way she deserved to be treated. "I'll think about it," Alex replied with a small smile and then walked back out on to the balcony to take Gabriela her water. Logan stood in the doorway and watched him lean over and kiss her again as he handed her the water. He took a seat next to her again, wrapping his arm across her shoulders and pulling her closer to him as they sat there with the baby.

Logan hadn't thought about Veronica the entire time he'd been at their house, but seeing the three of them together, he was struck again by the harsh reality that he wasn't the most important thing in her life. It pained him to see how much Alex and Gabriela loved and supported each other and to not feel the same thing from Veronica. He had certainly been willing to put her first and leave his life in Brazil behind to go help her when she asked, but she couldn't do the same thing for him when he needed her to. His thoughts were interrupted a short while later by Alex walking back over to the door with Adelina.

"I'm going to give her a quick bath. Can you keep Gabriela company for a bit?" Alex asked quietly as he reached Logan. Logan nodded and moved so Alex could go back inside and then he walked back over to Gabriela. He pulled up a chair that was near hers and took a seat, also facing out toward the ocean. That was one thing they both had shared, that feeling of serenity that watching the waves had given them.

"Alex told you?" she finally asked in a quiet voice. Logan turned his head toward her and nodded. She was looking at him with her soft brown eyes and gave him an apologetic look. "I'm sorry I didn't handle that better… before…" she let out a small sigh and shook her head. "I'm such a horrible person." He heard her voice break and was afraid she was about to start crying again.

"Hey, no you're not," Logan said as he climbed out of his chair and sat on the lounge chair by her again and wrapped his arms around her. "I understand why you didn't want to risk messing things up with Alex."

He felt her shake her head against him. "That's not all though, and that's why I'm so horrible. I really don't deserve Alex to always be so understanding."

Logan took a deep breath. He didn't need her to say anymore to understand what she was talking about. Veronica's words that Gabriela still loved him, came rushing back to him. _She didn't want to know because a part of her wanted the baby to be mine._

"It's so hard…" she sniffled against his chest. "…it's so hard to love you both."

Logan let out a deep sigh, "You chose the better one of us though Gab." It would be so easy to just forget about everything else and think only of himself and what might make him happy, even if not for the long term. When he'd tried to win Gabriela back, she'd been so adamant that she didn't love him anymore and that she'd never take him back, but he realized that she'd just been lying, maybe to herself as well as him. "You mean the world to Alex. You both do." He leaned back so he could look into her eyes. "A part of me will always love you, but you deserve more than that." _We both do. _

She gave him a sad half smile and nodded. She seemed to be searching his eyes, trying to read his thoughts. She rested her hand on his cheek, gently rubbing her thumb along his cheek bone. "What happened in LA?" she finally asked in a soft voice.

Logan shook his head and took a deep breath. "Nothing," he replied softly. He glanced over at the glass of water that Alex had brought her and noticed it was empty. "I'm going to get you some more water." Before she could protest he reached for the glass and stood up from her seat and headed back inside. He really couldn't talk with her about what happened with Veronica and everything he was trying to deal with. And she'd be able to see through any lies if he wasn't honest, so he thought avoidance was the best course of action.

When he returned, he took a seat in the other chair again and handed her the glass. "Thanks for the offer you made to Alex," she said as she took the water. "You didn't have to do that though."

"I wanted to," Logan answered honestly. "I know he'll be successful if he's given the chance, so please let me do this for him, for you."

She bit on her lip and nodded, "I'll talk more with him about it." She looked back out at the ocean, and then turned toward him again. "Are you going back to LA after…" she took a shaky breath and didn't continue, but Logan knew what the after was. _The funeral._

"I don't know yet," he answered honestly and shrugged. "Things were a bit complicated when I left, so I'm not sure."

"Well I'm glad you're here," she said with a small smile. "We both are."

Logan nodded. Alex really was the only guy he'd ever known who could be so accepting of their past relationship and still genuinely like Logan. He had no idea how he could be so forgiving, but was thankful that he was. Alex was an only child, and had known Marcos from when they were young kids, so he was also more like a brother to him than just a friend. Of all the people that Marcos had touched during his life, the three of them were by far the ones who would miss him the most. And they were probably the only three who could understand how painful it was for him to be gone, so he was thankful that despite everything Alex was nothing but compassionate toward him.

They sat there silently watching the ocean for a little while longer before Alex returned with Adelina again. "Want to hold her again?" He asked Logan as he walked by. Logan nodded and reached out to take the baby from him. She seemed much happier after her bath and went back to smacking at his chin again. Alex took a seat next to Gabriela again and kissed her gently as he wrapped his arm protectively around her shoulders and held her hand. The three of them sat there just listening to the little sounds that Adelina made as she enjoyed grabbing and swatting at Logan's chin.

He stayed for another hour or so, having some of the casserole at Alex's insistence. He finally said he was going to head home, letting them know if they needed anything at all to give him a call. Alex walked him to the door after he gave Gabriela a quick hug goodbye. "Thank you for coming back," Alex said with genuine appreciation in his voice. He hesitated for a moment and let out a deep sigh. "I realized sometimes she just needs both of us, you know?"

Logan gave him a solemn look and nodded before he turned without another word and walked back to his car.


	40. Chapter 40

_**A/N – OK, so I did feel bad having to take a break where I did, and since the next chapter was about finished, I thought I'd use the little free time I had to wrap it up for you. At least this is a better place I think for everyone to wait for the next update to come out. I'm not sure that I'll get another one out until maybe next week though since I went ahead and published this one now. But I'm sure you'll all be happier now that you have to wait for a while. I think I want to get through another chapter of Lightning Rod before I come back to this one. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think. And I'm sorry that sometimes I don't get a chance to reply to them all. I really do read them all though!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 40

Logan spent the drive back to his house thinking about all the regrets he had with how things had gone in the past with Gabriela as well as how he left things with Veronica when he came back. He was surprised Veronica still hadn't called him and decided when he got back to his house that he should try to call her. He wasn't sure what he wanted to say though, which was one of the reasons why he hadn't called her yet, but he decided that the longer he waited the worse it would be. He had really hoped she'd be the one to reach out first because at this point he was a little tired of being the one that seemed to be trying harder to make things work for them.

He was also surprised how disappointed he was to find out Adelina wasn't his. He hadn't realized how badly he had hoped that she would be his after seeing her in the elevator before he left. But after that, and getting to actually hold her earlier, he realized how some part of him really did want to be a dad at some point. _Just face it, Logan Echolls never gets a happy ending._

When he got home he went and grabbed a beer from the fridge. He made a mental note that he'd need to go shopping the next morning, since he'd had the house keeper clear out all the perishable foods because he had planned on being gone much longer than a week. _It's crazy how much has changed in a week._ He took a few drinks of the beer and then headed for the couch and pulled out his cell phone. _Still no call or message from her. I wish I knew what I really wanted to say. I miss you? I'm still pissed that you chose your case over me? I'm pissed at myself for letting Trevor get to me? _He took a few more sips out of his beer and flipped to his contact list. _Maybe I should send a text instead of calling. Less chance I'll lose my temper that way. _He shook his head and took another drink of his beer. _I'm the one who lost a close friend. You'd think she'd at least care enough to check on me. _He threw his head back against the couch in frustration, letting the phone fall on the cushion next to him.

He'd been sitting there at least another 10 minutes trying to figure out what to do when heard a knock on his door. He guessed it was probably Mr. or Mrs. Pereira from next door. He'd let them know he was going to be gone for a few months and they always kept an eye on his place whenever he was away in Sau Paulo too. He really should have thought to drop by before he went to Gabriela and Alex's house to let them know he was back, knowing they'd worry with the lights on now that it was dark. He sat the empty beer bottle down on the table and went to answer the door. He was not expecting to find Veronica standing on the other side of it.

"Hi," she said in a soft tired voice.

His lips curved up in a hopeful smile. "Hey," he replied back softly, opening the door wider for her to come in and then closing it behind her. The reality of the situation was starting to sink in. "Why didn't you call and let me know you were coming? I could have picked you up at the airport."

He noticed she was biting on her lip nervously. "I wasn't certain you'd be glad to see me," she replied looking at him cautiously.

He gave her a confused look. "Why wouldn't I be happy to see you? I asked you to come with me."

The concerned expression didn't leave her face and he couldn't help but notice her body language was not what he'd expected at all either. It took him a few moments to catch on and then he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "You didn't just come for me did you?" He tried to keep the anger out of his voice, but he wasn't very successful.

"The _main_ reason I came was for you," she replied softly.

He opened his eyes again. "But not the _only_ reason." He shook his head and let out a frustrated sigh and walked into the kitchen grabbing another beer. He knew he was being a crappy host by not offering her one, but he wasn't in the mood for niceties at the moment. He heard her follow him into the kitchen, but she didn't say anything else.

He set the bottle down on the counter a bit harder than he'd intended after taking a long drink. "So you also came for your case?"

She gave him a sad apologetic look and nodded. He felt his jaw tighten and took a deep angry breath. _You could just be glad she's here and not be a dick about her also working on her case. _He shook his head and took another drink of his beer. _Because when have you ever come first in anyone's life? Certainly not your parents and never Veronica before. Probably the only person who I ever did come first for was Gabriela and I fucked that up beyond repair._

He took his beer and walked past her back to the couch where he'd been sitting before he went to answer the door. He picked up his phone from the cushion and tossed it on the coffee table in front of him. She silently followed him and sat down next to him. He looked down at the beer bottle in his lap and started picking at the label. Her patience with his fidgeting seemed to be running out and after a few minutes she took the bottle from him and sat it on the table. She reached back over and took his hands into hers, still resting them on his lap. He stared down at them and took a deep breath.

"Look, I'm sorry I didn't come with you when you first asked. It was just so sudden and I needed to figure out what I should do. And then I could have just come here and lied about _not_ being here for my case at all, but I didn't want to do that to you. I really don't want to lie to you Logan." She paused for a moment before she continued. "When you left yesterday… I realized how much you do mean to me and I wasn't willing to just let you go without trying. I told you before that I don't want to loose you again." She paused and let out a deep sigh. "But this case Logan…" her voice became a bit shakier as she continued. "You don't really know how much Lindsey meant to me. Even though we only spent a few months together during my internships each summer, she was so supportive and took me under her wing. She was probably more like a mom to me than Lianne had been for years. We kept in touch even when I went back to Hearst. I don't think I would have joined the FBI if it wasn't for her. So it's not just about me trying to make it as a field agent. It's more about getting the asshole who killed her."

Logan finally looked up and saw her teary expression. He saw the same expression that she'd had when she was adamant she was going to find out who had really killed Lilly. She let out a small sigh when he finally looked at her. "Please Logan. Please don't make me choose between getting justice for her and being with you."

He looked down at their hands again. Deep down he already knew which one she'd choose if she was forced to. _Could I ever be happy always being second to her pursuit for justice?_ _Even once she catches Baldwin, there would probably just be some other noble cause that she'll take up because that's just who she is. …Someone always has to pay._ He really didn't want his happiness to be a casualty of that.

"I never said you had to choose Veronica," he finally replied softly.

She reached up with one hand and turned his face back to hers. "You matter to me Logan. Please don't doubt that." He swallowed a lump in his throat and nodded as she stared intently into his eyes.

He looked down at his hands again, which she was still holding with her left hand. "So you think he might be in Brazil again?"

"He could be," she answered, and then her voice got even quieter. "Sometimes people turn up at funerals if there were connections there before."

Logan looked up and narrowed his eyes at her. "Marcos didn't know him."

She gave him a sympathetic look. "Logan they were both around the racing scene. There's a chance he did and you just didn't know. He may have looked different too so you wouldn't have recognized him."

Logan shook his head. "I told you I never forgot his eyes. If he'd been around again I would have noticed it."

"Well you weren't with Marcos all the time either, so there's a possibility he did know him and you just wouldn't know." Veronica tried to reason with him.

Logan shook his head again and looked back down at their hands. His frustration was starting to grow again. He noticed she was wearing the ring. _Gabriela_. _She didn't need to deal with this on top of everything else._ He let out a frustrated breath. "I'm going to tell Gabriela the truth. I'm not going to lie to her after everything else that's happened. If you're planning to go to the funeral, then I want her to know why I left with you and why you're back now." Veronica raised her eyebrow in surprise. "And you're not wearing the ring while you're here. I'm not going to subject her to that."

Veronica's expression became a bit troubled, but she didn't argue with him either. "Fine," was all she said. She looked down at her hand then removed the ring and put it on the table next to his phone. She put her hands back in her lap and they both sat their in silence for a few minutes.

Exhaustion from being awake for almost 24 hours and all the emotional turmoil that had been happening around him was starting to take its toll on Logan. He put his elbows on his knees and leaned forward resting his head on them rubbing his temple with his fingers. He just wanted this all to be a bad nightmare and he'd wake up and Marcos would still be alive and he wouldn't have realized his second-rate place in Veronica's life. He felt her hesitantly put her hand on his shoulder.

"I really am so sorry about Marcos, Logan," she said softly. He nodded his head in his hands. He could feel the tears start to well up again. He'd hoped he'd gotten most of his crying done when he was on the porch with Gabriela, but apparently he hadn't. He tried to keep from crying by taking a deep breath, but she must have been able to tell that he was starting to break down. She turned so she could wrap her arms around his shoulders and pulled his head closer to her. He moved his arms so he could wrap them around her waist and let her pull him toward her until his head was resting on her chest.

_Maybe things will seem better in the morning. I am just so fucking tired._ He realized she had to have flown out on the first flight of the morning to have made it there when she did, so she may have been just as tired as he was. She certainly seemed exhausted when he'd answered the door. He sat up and gave her a somber look. "I'm going to head up to bed. Do you want me to get your bags from your car?"

She shook her head and all of a sudden a feeling of dread coursed through him. _She's leaving and not even staying here with me._ The concern must have been evident on his face.

"I'll just grab them," she quickly explained. The tightness he felt in his chest relaxed a bit and he nodded.

"I'll walk out with you anyway," He said as he stood up from the couch. She gave him a small smile and nodded.

He followed her out to the car, and she opened the trunk to grab her bags. He had no intention of letting her carry them in by herself anyway and grabbed the larger of the two. She didn't argue and just grabbed the smaller one. They silently went back into the house.

"I can sleep in a guest room or the couch or wherever you want me to sleep," she said in a quiet tone as they got back in the house. They were still standing at the base of the stairs right inside the entry way. He let out an exhausted sigh.

"I have a king size bed Veronica, plenty of room for you in it without the risk of accidentally touching me at all." He said it with a small smirk, hoping she knew he was only kidding and repeating what she'd said to him the first night he'd slept in her bed after the party at the hotel.

She let out a little huff of air and a small smile crossed across her lips. "Well that's good because I wouldn't want to _accidentally_ touch you at all." She looked intently in his eyes. "I want to _purposely_ touch you."

He took a deep breath and reached out with his hand that wasn't holding her suitcase and put it on her head, pulling her close enough that he could reach down and kiss her lightly on the lips. He still wasn't happy with the situation they were in, but he couldn't seem to keep from kissing her either. Even though it had only been about 24 hours since he'd left her in Malibu, it felt like weeks had gone by. He broke the kiss after a few seconds though and gave her a troubled smile. "Come on," he said softly and then took her free hand with his and led her up the stairs.

He took a deep breath before he opened the door to his bedroom. It hit him at that moment that he'd never had any other woman here besides Gabriela. He'd never brought any of the women he hooked up with to his house since he was always in Sau Paulo when he would meet them. The only exceptions to being in Sau Paulo were a few parties at Marcos's house and he'd always stayed in his guest room, rather than coming home with any of them. Unfortunately one of those exceptions was accidentally discovered by Gabriela, further adding to the disdain she'd already felt for him at the time. And it turned out a thousand times worse than it could have been since no one had bothered to mention before he got completely hammered at the party that the woman was actually one of her cousins visiting from San Diego that he'd never met. She was certainly the nail in the coffin that represented their relationship and any chance of reconciliation.

Veronica must have noticed something was wrong with him as they'd walked into the room. She was still holding his hand and gave it a gentle tug, so that he stopped and looked at her. "You okay?" she asked with a concerned expression.

His first reaction was to just shrug. Then he nodded slowly. "Yeah, just tired." The look she gave him clearly expressed that she wasn't buying it. She quickly scanned the room.

_Fuck_. He still had a picture of him and Gabriela on his dresser that he could never bear to take down or throw out. He sat down her bag, and walked over to the dresser, opening the top drawer and tossing the picture in there, then went into the bathroom and closed the door. He didn't bother to lock the door and sat down on the edge of the tub and put his head in his hands again. He felt like his whole fucking world was just crumbling around him. He'd lost Marcos. Felt like he potentially fucked things up again with Veronica. Was reminded of what he lost with Gabriela. Found out Adelina wasn't his. This seriously had to be the worst 24 hours of his life and he'd had some pretty shitty days before. He felt the tears streaming down his face again and closed his eyes to try to get them to stop.

He heard the door open. "I'm sorry," he said in a broken voice as he kept his head buried in his hands with his eyes closed.

He felt her fingers gently wiping his tears away and felt her small body scoot in between his legs. He opened his eyes and she was sitting on the floor in front of him, looking up at him with a sad but concerned expression.

"It's okay," she said softly. "You don't need to apologize. I know you still care about her. I didn't realize… you lived here with her?" He nodded slowly in reply. "Yeah, it doesn't really come across as the bachelor pad I would have expected, so I sort of figured." He could tell she was trying to be casual in her tone trying to make him feel better.

"Let's go to sleep, okay?" She said softly as she gave him a small encouraging smile. "I'm sure things will seem better tomorrow."

He reached out and put his hands on either side of her head. "Thank you for being here," he said quietly as he leaned down and kissed her forehead. It may not be entirely for the reason he had hoped for, but she was still there with him and he realized he should focus on that and not the negative parts. Otherwise he would probably just completely fall apart, which wasn't going to help anyone.

They changed clothes and climbed into his bed. "Do you want me to stay on my side of the bed?" she asked in a quiet voice after he'd turned the lights off.

"No," he answered softly.

He let out a deep breath and turned slightly as she moved next to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close enough to bury his face in her shoulder. She gently stroked his hair with her hand and he could hear her heartbeat right under his ear.

Even though he was exhausted, his mind was still too active to fall asleep. He knew she was still awake since she was still slowly moving her fingers through his hair and up and down his shoulder. "I saw Adelina again today," he said softly. "And found out she's not mine."

"Oh," she replied sounding a bit surprised. "How did you find out?"

He took a deep breath before he spoke. "Alex also noticed my reaction in the elevator and talked with Gabriela about it. He had a test done to determine which one of us was her father."

"I'm sorry." She said in a tender voice. He waited a second before he asked why she was sorry. "You had almost a hopeful expression on your face when you saw her in the elevator. I just assumed you really did hope she was yours." He closed his eyes even tighter as he felt a few tears come back again._ And I'm sure Veronica would never choose having kids over her career if she can't even choose me over a single case. Fuck, what is wrong with me. I'm crying like a hormonal teenage girl now. I really need some sleep. _He hoped none of the tears actually fell onto her chest to where she could feel them. _And when did I decide I actually even wanted to be a dad. _He thought back for a moment._ I guess it was the moment I heard Gabriela was pregnant._ He tried to nonchalantly move one hand to wipe at his face so the tears wouldn't fall on Veronica, hoping she wouldn't notice. "If being a dad is something you really want, maybe you'll get another chance sometime in the future." She said softly.

He took a deep breath and decided to ask what he was wondering even though he already thought he knew the answer. "Do you ever want to be a mom?" His voice sounded so helpless that he barely even recognized it himself.

She answered him as she kept gently running her fingers through his hair. "We're only 25 Logan, there's still lots of time for either of us to have kids in the future."

_I might as well keep going now._ His voice sounded more confident than it had a few seconds ago though still tentative when he asked his next question. "Any chance we might have those kids together?"

By the tone of her voice, he could completely envision her expression. It was the shy, happy expression that he absolutely loved to see on her face. It was the tone and expression that she used in moments that he really could believe that she loved him as much as he loved her. There was a hopefulness and openness to that tone. Not the one she used when she didn't want to answer a question or was not being truthful. "Maybe…" she said coyly after hesitating for only a second. Even though it was only one word, it was the way she said it that made him feel like his heart skipped a beat at that moment.

He took a deep breath and lifted his head up, crushing his lips to hers. She eagerly kissed him back with as much desire and passion as he was pouring into his kisses. They were soulful, meaningful kisses, rather than the type of kisses they had shared when things were heating up physically. It was more about pouring their love for each other into the kisses rather than getting carried away by passion and desire though. He stopped kissing her for a moment, and ran his nose along her cheek, then changed his angle slightly and kissed her again. He loved her so much, even if she didn't love him as unconditionally as he loved her. He gently stroked her cheek and hair as he continued to kiss her. He just couldn't help being the hopeful romantic, holding on to that dream that one day things would work out between them and they'd get their perfect happy ending. Their kisses started slowing down and he shifted so that he could rest his head on the pillow next to her head. He didn't want to have to worry about crushing her while they were sleeping. She leaned toward him and gave him another kiss, stroking her hand over his cheek.

"Good night, Logan," she said softly and then he noticed her tone had become a bit shakier as she continued in an even quieter voice. "Please don't leave me like that again."

He let out a deep breath, "I'm so sorry Veronica," he leaned in and kissed her forehead and then squeezed her a little tighter. "I promise I won't." He hoped it was a promise he really could keep. The exhaustion from everything that had happened finally did catch up with him though, and having her there wrapped up in his arms was just the source of comfort that he needed to finally be able to fall asleep. The last thing he remembered before he dozed off was hearing her soft rhythmic breathing and the feel of her silky hair against his cheek.


	41. Chapter 41

_**A/N – Well I did find enough time to write another chapter for this story, but not yet for Lightning Rod. I think all the conflicting emotions on the last chapter made me really want to get this one done so readers would know where I was heading with things. I'm still going to be pretty busy for a while longer, so the updates won't be quite as fast as before when I had extra chapters completed. **_

_**As always, thanks for all the support and for continuing to read along. Please let me know how you're liking it with a quick review. I absolutely love reading all the comments, so take a second to let me know what you think. And I'm sorry that sometimes I don't get a chance to reply to them all. I really do read them all though!**_

_**Disclaimer: All original VM characters belong to Rob Thomas.**_

Chapter 41

Logan woke up earlier than he'd expected and felt better having Veronica's warm body snuggled up next to his. Even though more sleep would have been nice, he needed to run out and get them some groceries before heading back to Gabriela and Alex's house. When Gabriela had gone in to put Adelina to bed the prior night, Alex had asked him if he'd be willing to go with him to make the funeral arrangements. They both agreed that would probably be too much for Gabriela to handle, so they planned to do it as soon as Alex's parents had arrived and could stay with Gabriela and the baby. He also wanted to talk to Gabriela about Veronica so he wanted to get there a little earlier to ensure he could have a few moments alone with her before Alex's parents arrived.

Logan carefully climbed out of bed so that he didn't wake Veronica and then took a quick shower. He stood in the doorway watching her sleep for a few minutes after his shower before going into his closet to get dressed. She looked so peaceful and content all snuggled up under the blankets. He felt a little less hopeless today after getting several hours of sleep and having her there with him. He kept reminding himself that she found a way to come to him when she could have chosen to stay behind and work on the case in LA, so he should be thankful for that and not resentful that she was also there for her case. _She did fly all the way here for me when her best lead on the case is probably there in LA. That may be one of the biggest sacrifices she's ever actually made for me._

He headed downstairs and did a quick survey of what had been left behind by his house keeper. He at least had coffee still in the house, so he started a carafe in the maker before he wrote a short note for Veronica. He went to retrieve his cell phone that he'd left on the table in front of the couch the night before. The engagement ring was still sitting there by his phone as well. He picked it up and studied it for a moment, noticing how the early morning light sparkled off of it. _It's probably not wise to have this just lying around where it could get lost. _He carried it into the small office he had off the foyer and opened the safe to put it inside. He let out a small sigh as he saw a black ring box that was already in there. He set the ring he'd bought in Malibu down in the safe, and then picked up the box. He held it closed for a moment, and then took a deep breath before he opened it. He stared at the diamond engagement ring inside of it for a few seconds, wondering when the last time he'd actually looked at it was. He took the ring out and held it up to the light so he could read the inscription. He'd thrown it in a drawer after she'd walked out and hadn't taken it out of that drawer again for quite a while. Whenever he was feeling particularly depressed he would pull it out and look at it. Of course looking at it when he was depressed never led to anything good and way too many hangovers.

He realized how desperately he tried to hold on to things even when it would be better to let them go. He'd tried to hold on to the memory of Gabriela long after she'd left by keeping the house, even though every thing about it reminded him of her. _Obviously one of the reasons I was never willing to bring any other women here._ He looked around the office for a moment as he realized he'd also probably only stayed in Brazil because he didn't want to give up on her. At the time though, he thought he'd already completely lost Veronica, and he didn't want to lose Gabriela too. He'd tried to convince himself that trying to be in her life as just a friend wasn't unhealthy even when she was starting to date Alex. Things of course became complicated when she married him, and even more so when he found out about the pregnancy. Now he felt like the best thing he could do was to be honest with Gabriela about his relationship with Veronica. He didn't want to hurt her again, but he felt like the best way to move on was to be completely honest with her and maybe they'd both get the closure they needed. _Obviously neither of us has completely moved on._ He'd been surprised the night before with how uncomfortable he'd felt when he walked into the bedroom with Veronica. _Even after all these years, I still kept thinking of it as 'our' bedroom._ He was anxious to get back to California and away from all the reminders of his old life in Brazil.

He looked at the ring again. Maybe there were things that were worth hanging on to and fighting for though. He looked at the inscription one more time and ran the tip of his finger across the four simple letters. '_Epic_' He still believed they were and hoped that she'd realize it this time too. He tried not to think about how devastated he'd been the night he'd thrown the ring into the dresser at the Grand. The night he'd planned a fancy dinner for them and then everything went to hell. He put the ring back in its box and locked the safe after setting it back inside.

There was a small market only a few miles from his house, so he drove there and went about getting some basics that would get them by for the next few days. _I really don't want to stay here any longer than I have to now._ There was a small bakery right next to the market and he bought some pastries and fresh bread there to take back to the house as well.

When he got back, he found Veronica sitting on the back patio on a lounge chair looking out at the ocean. She had a cup of coffee in her hand and gave him a small smile as he walked out toward her.

"I brought you sweets," he said with an alluring smile as he handed her the bag. She opened it and her smile grew a bit more, but then she put it down without taking anything out and stood up instead.

She wrapped her arms around his waist and took a deep breath. "I missed waking up next to you this morning," she said as she rested her head against his chest. "Two mornings in a row without you there beside me are too many."

"Sorry. I'll try to avoid that in the future," he replied tenderly as he squeezed her a little tighter and kissed her forehead. She tipped her head up and gave him an affectionate smile before he bent down so he could kiss her lips.

After the kiss ended she reached up and stroked his cheek. "I know you didn't do it on purpose, but it made me realize exactly how you must have felt when I disappeared on you in Malibu now. I'm sorry too, for that." She gave him a demure smile before she continued. "I was a little worried until I found your note in the kitchen. You could have woken me up before you left."

He tipped his head down and nuzzled his nose against her cheek, placing a few light kisses along her jaw line. _I don't think she's ever said she was worried I'd disappeared on her ever before in our lives._ "I'm sorry. You just looked so peaceful sleeping. I didn't want to disturb you." He whispered in a soft tone against her skin. "I did promise last night that I wouldn't leave you again and I meant it Veronica. I never want to leave you again, not willingly at least." He gave her a playful smile and then continued. "I had a good excuse for this morning though at least. I've got a bunch of stuff to go and do today and there wasn't much around here to eat. I knew a hungry Bobcat could be extremely dangerous so wanted to be sure you would be well fed before I had to leave." A sly smile crossed her lips and he wondered if it was the nickname or the mention of food.

"How long are you going to be gone?" she asked with the smile fading slightly.

Logan let out a small sigh. He momentarily realized how their roles were even more reversed now compared to when they were back in Malibu. "I told Alex I'd help him make the funeral arrangements today. I have no idea how long that will take. I uh… I didn't actually handle any of that for my parents." Veronica nodded compassionately and leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss him gently again.

"Well I'll be here when you get back. Just send me a text later if you want me to cook up some food. Maybe give me a status update when you have a better idea of when you might be back?" The expression on her face was so understanding that it sent a warm feeling of comfort coursing through his body.

"Thank you," he said with a warm smile. "And I'm sorry about my reaction last night when you told me you were here for your case." He reached up with one hand and gently brushed his fingers across her cheek and into her hair. "It was just a really long day, but that's not really a good excuse for acting like an ass. I appreciate you being here so very much." He leaned down and kissed her again. He broke away before it got too intense because he really did need to go and if he wasn't careful he knew he'd easily get carried away with her, especially after her admission that she was worried he'd left her again. He took a deep breath before he continued. "I should get going, but I'll come back as soon as I can. Feel free to make yourself at home and help yourself to any thing you want." She smiled and gave him one more quick kiss on the lips before they turned to walk back into the house. She reached down and grabbed the bag of pastries with one hand and took his hand with the other. She helped him put the groceries away before he gave her one last kiss and left.

He tried to figure out what he was going to say to Gabriela on the drive over, but was still a bit worried about it when he arrived at their house. He was glad that it didn't look like Alex's parents had arrived yet. He went up and rang the doorbell. Gabriela actually answered it, looking a bit better than the day before. She gave him a grim smile before saying hello.

"Can we talk for a moment? Just the two of us?" Logan asked a bit nervously.

She nodded. "Yeah Alex just took Adelina back to change her diaper." She gestured to a bench seat that they had on the front porch. She gave him a concerned look as they sat down. "What did you want to talk about?"

"About Lindsey," Logan said realizing that even trying to figure out what to say in the car didn't really help make it any easier. Her look was still tentative, but she nodded for him to continue. He took a deep breath. "So she doesn't just look a lot like Veronica, she actually is Veronica." Gabriela raised an eyebrow with a questioning expression, but didn't say anything either, so he continued on. "When she found me in Brazil, she was working undercover on a case and actually came to ask me for help with it." Gabriela's expression became a bit more troubled. He had never told Gabriela that Veronica worked for the FBI, but they had talked about Lilly since she knew his history and the fact that Veronica had helped find the real murderer had come up. So she did know that Veronica had been involved with that sort of thing and had worked with her dad as a private investigator sometimes. Working on some sort of undercover case wouldn't come as a surprise given what she would have known about her.

"So that's why you went back to LA?" Gabriela asked after a moment, "Because she asked you for help with the case she was working on?"

Logan nodded in reply. "Yeah, that was part of the reason why I went with her."

Gabriela let out a shaky breath, "I guess you two must have reconciled then when she found you here. Why did you say things were complicated when I asked you about LA yesterday? I would think you'd be thrilled to have her back in your life." He thought he could pick up a small amount of bitterness in her tone.

"It wasn't that simple, and no, we didn't just automatically pick back up where we left off." Logan quickly replied.

"Nothing with you is ever simple," she said as she shook her head slightly. She narrowed her eyes at him. "So what's _complicated_? You still love her and she looked pretty into you when I saw you with her."

Logan sighed before he answered. "I do love her. That's never been the issue with us." He let out a frustrated breath and looked down at his hands. "At first we were together just for the case… when you would have seen us here in Brazil… but it did become more after we went back to LA."

"That doesn't seem that complicated," she replied as she bumped her knee into his, causing him to look up at her again. He let out another sigh, realizing that was something she used to always do when he was avoiding looking at her. She was carefully studying him. "Is there someone else in her life now?"

He shook his head. "Her job… it's just complicated."

She gave him a faint smile. "Well you always liked a challenge. I'm sure you'll figure it out." She let out a deep breath and then she started speaking again. "I always thought you'd find your way back to her some how." The smile faded and her expression became solemn again. "The night I came to see you... when you came home from the hospital…" she shook her head as if she wasn't sure she should say what she was saying, but then continued anyway. "I almost thought… I thought maybe we should try again…" She bit her lip and paused for a moment. "But you… and your stupid talking in your sleep… You said her name _again_… even after all that time… I knew I'd always feel like I was just your second choice and that she was the one you would rather have been with."

The dreams, or rather Veronica actually being at the hospital talking to him, had caused him to dream of her a lot after that for quite some time. He knew he talked more in his sleep when he was on pain meds and he had still been taking them when Gabriela had stopped by that night. He gave her a sad smile and nodded. "I'm sorry, but you're right, there's a part of me that I don't think will ever stop loving and wanting to be with her." He shook his head slightly, almost hating what he was about to say, but when did Logan Echolls ever do the smart thing. He looked at her critically before he spoke. "I hope that's not the same thing you've done to Alex."

She took a deep breath and shook her head. "I was at least honest with him about that. I told him I still loved you, that I loved you _both_ and that it was his choice if he still wanted to marry me. So at least I didn't try to keep that from him. And I really did want to try to make things work with him." She let out a small sigh, "He said he loved me regardless of my feelings for you and that he still wanted to be with me no matter what. That being with me was the most important thing in the world to him and that he loved me enough to accept that part of me would maybe still love you too." She paused and took a deep breath. "And I'm guessing this little talk now is because she's here in Brazil with you?"

He nodded and took a deep breath. "The case… she thinks there's a slight chance the guy could be here in Brazil again." He didn't want to mention the funeral. "I actually did see him once at a party in Sau Paulo when you and I were still together. I remember he gave me an uneasy feeling with the way he was looking at you all night."

Her eyes got a bit wider. "I remember that guy. You were acting so strange and ended up pointing him out when I pushed you about what was wrong." She paused a moment. "What did he do?"

Logan gave her a grim look. "He killed an FBI agent and has raped a lot of women, some of them here in Brazil and connected to the racing community."

She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I never told you… we weren't together… but something happened to one of the sisters of one of the guys on Marcos's crew. She… she didn't want her brother or Marcos to know, but asked me for help."

"Oh god Gab," he let out a shaky breath and ran his hand through his hair. "Catarina?" He'd noticed that the vivacious girl who used to be at every race and after party had stopped coming for quite some time and when she finally did come back some how she didn't seem quite as outgoing and friendly as she used to be. He'd never thought something like that could have been what happened, though now he realized he should have.

Gabriela opened her eyes and nodded sadly at him. "She didn't know who did it. She'd been at a bar near the race track and then the next thing she knew she woke up alone in some run down hotel. She was thankful she was still alive, but it just destroyed her. She called me to come and get her." Her eyes got a bit teary before she continued and she shook her head again. "I'll never forget the look on her face when I got there. If it's the same guy, he deserves to rot in hell for what he's done." She paused and took a deep breath. "I hope she catches that son of a bitch."

Logan gave her a knowing look and nodded. "I do too." He reached over and squeezed her hand and then took a deep breath before he continued. "I don't know what's going to happen, but I don't think I'm going to come back to Brazil when it's all over. I just feel like I need to get a fresh start. Hopefully with her, but if not, I realized living here probably isn't the best thing for me. Not anymore. But I meant what I said about helping Alex start a garage. I hope you two decide to let me do that. No matter where I go, that offer still stands."

She gave him a grim smile and nodded. "He said he'd talk more with you today about it." She paused for a moment before she continued. "I understand why you don't want to come back, and even though I didn't say it nicely before you went to LA, I do think it will be good for you to get a fresh start somewhere new." She gave him a small smile, "But pick a better name this time Logan, _Billy_ really never suited you."

He chuckled softly and shook his head, "Yeah, I might even just go back to being Logan again. Maybe Logan Deimos, I've gotten sort of used to the last name now." _And I know I'll forever be drawn toward my own Mars._

She smiled and nodded. "Let's go check on Alex and Adie." She stood up and gave him one last glance. "Thanks for being honest with me this time." He nodded back and then followed her into the house.

Alex's parents arrived shortly after they had walked back inside and the two men left to go and make the funeral arrangements. While Logan thought Gabriela had seemed better than the day before when he arrived, the reality of where the two of them were going finally hit her and he noticed her start to crumble again. At least Alex's mom noticed as well and quickly went over to try to comfort her. Alex gave her a concerned look as the two of them turned to head back out to Logan's car.

The people making the funeral arrangements were as compassionate as would be expected but it was still an emotionally exhausting process to go through. They were able to arrange for the funeral to be held late Friday morning in Bertioga. Alex thanked Logan again on the way back to their house about agreeing to go with him. They also talked about the offer Logan made about helping him start his own mechanic's shop.

"I don't think I'm coming back to Brazil anytime soon after this," Logan explained as he drove. "But my offer still stands and no matter where I am, I'd be happy to be a silent partner and fund all the start up costs for starting your own shop."

"Thanks, I still can't believe you'd want to do that, but I do appreciate it. I just need a bit more time to decide. Everything is so overwhelming right now with Marcos's death."

Logan nodded in understanding. "Did you want me to go up to Sau Paulo this week and make arrangements at the track?"

Alex let out a deep sigh. "If you could, that would be so great. I don't want to leave Gabriela that long. I also have no idea what to even do with all of his stuff there."

"Navarro's place has a large storage building. We can move the car and trailer there. I think he'll be in town tomorrow, so we can both go up to Sau Paulo together and take care of things. I'm guessing Gab will eventually want to go through the things at his house and decide what to do with it."

"Yeah, I think we'll work on that in a couple weeks. There isn't a huge rush to deal with his house right now." Alex gave him a grateful look. "If you can handle the track stuff, I'd really appreciate it."

"Of course," Logan replied. "I'll talk to Navarro and we'll get it all sorted out. And then whenever she decides what she wants to do with the car and trailer, you can let him know. She may want to sell it eventually, but there's no rush. He has lots of space and can keep it for as long as you want."

When they got back to Alex's house, his mother asked Logan if he wanted to stay for lunch. Logan graciously declined and said he really needed to get back to his house. Gabriela gave him a knowing looking and said she'd walk him out as he was leaving.

She closed the front door behind her and leaned back against it. "So… was the engagement real?" She asked with a questioning expression on her face.

Logan shook his head slightly with a bit of disbelief. He had wondered if word of that would make it back down here if Heidi and Juliana were fairly close. He also knew how fast rumors spread around the racing community there once they started. "Not yet," he answered with a determined expression.

She nodded and then looked down at her feet for a moment, before looking back up at him with a grim smile on her face. "I know I'll be a wreck on Friday, so if I don't get a chance to see you again, I just wanted to say goodbye and good luck. Thank you for coming back to help us get through this, and for your offer to Alex. It really does mean a lot to me." She paused for a brief moment. "And I also wanted to let you know I really meant it when I said I'd keep your secrets. So you don't need to worry."

He gave her a grateful smile and nodded. He took a step toward her and reached out to hug her. "Thanks. Take care of yourself and Alex and Adie." He briefly kissed her on the forehead, and then turned quickly to walk to his car. He didn't want to look back to see what her expression might have been. He really did want to stop dwelling on the past. All he wanted now was to focus on how to get the happy ending he really wanted more than anything else in the world.

_**A/N – I am curious about what people think about him having a ring he'd bought for her from before. To me that 'fancy dinner' that got annihilated when she found out about Madison would have been so fitting for that to have happened. Because when did you ever see them get all dressed up for fancy dinners. Bondopolous pointed out there's actually another Fic called Veronica's Hangover by SilverLining2k6 that had the same idea in it, so I was glad to know I wasn't the only one that thought it would have been possible. And then of course it makes the angst of that break up even worse.**_


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